Saiyajin Voyage
by Spencers13
Summary: Crossover with DBZ and BJ! Please read AN. Two Saiyans are looking for survivors and wind up on Earth to take two people back with them to New Vegeta. Follow their voyage!
1. Chapter 1: Horrors

This crossover story between _Dragonball Z_ and _Beetlejuice_ was inspired by a nightmare and a picture. It employs mostly original characters, but please don't let that scare you away. This story has danger, suspense, angst, some action, and a little romance to boot. It has a great deal of drama, so if that's your thing, you might really enjoy this story.  
  
It's suggested that you know at least the basics of _DBZ_ as well as _Beetlejuice_ before you go diving in. Fans of both series' should be well off. Most of the original characters in this story are taken from my other stories out there: _BJA - A New Beginning_ and _Dark Shadows_, so if you read or are reading those, you'll recognize some faces...so to speak. ^_^ But even if you don't know anyone, or anything about _DBZ_ or _Beetlejuice_, that doesn't mean you shouldn't enjoy this story.  
  
_Saiya-jin Voyage_ was by no means written as a review catcher or to appeal to any sort of audience. It was written purely for my enjoyment and as a way to kill time. Being a stay-at-home person, I have plenty of time to do the things I've always wanted to, and writing a story like this was fun and exciting. The only thing I hope to convey here is a good story and a sense of adventure. Guaranteed, there isn't another story like this out there, so I think you'll be in for a breath of fresh air when you read it.  
  
But I am, by all means, not going to ignore any reviews. If you have a comment, I'd love to hear it. That's what FF.net is for--for people to post stories and have others read and review them. So, let your eyes carry you forward, and let your imagination have fun. I do honestly hope you'll enjoy what I've written like I have.  
  
_Disclaimer_: I'm only saying this once, because that's all that it needs to be said. To repeat this on every chapter is dumb. I do not own Dragonball Z or Beetlejuice. They are owned by their respective creators. There. I said it. Actually, I do have all that copyright info down below that will be repeated on every chapter...blah. ^_^  
  
  
  


Saiya-jin Voyage  
Spencers13 2002-2003  
PG-13 – Action/Adventure – Sci-Fi – Drama  
  
All characters, ship & place names © Spencers13 except  
Vegeta, Goku, Gohan, Goten, Chichi, Bulma, Mr. & Mrs. Briefs, Freeza & any DBZ concepts and place names © Akira Toriyama  
Beetlejuice © Geffen Film Co. 

Chapter One - Horrors  
  


_It was horriblethe vision I sawthe bloodthe gorethe screams. It haunts my memory; attacks me when I am awakewhen I sleepwhen I care for my baby._

_It's always there._

_Why won't it leave me ALONE?!?!_

Almost a full year ago, Vegeta, proud prince of the Saiya-jin, lost his life while trying to protect his new planet. He left behind nothing. Nothing save a woman bearing his unborn child. He gave her the child, but never took her as his bonded mate, breaking her heart doubly. But it was his own way of preserving her "feeble" life. A life that she wanted desperately to take herself. But she had his only child within her, and to lose that last piece of him

Days carried on into weeks, and weeks to months, until finally, the baby was born. A perfect mix of Saiya-jin and Human. Brownish-black spiked hair, black eyes, brown furry tail, and all. She named the child Tanoshiiko, meaning joyful child. The little bundle was always full of smiles and giggles that brought a small amount of happiness to her life.

She herself was named Kaikatsu, meaning lively and cheerful. Since Vegeta's death, however, she had been neither of those.

Kaikatsu stayed in the constant care of Bulma Briefs and her mother and father in Capsule Corporation, located in West City. She stayed off alone in her small apartment in one of the many wings of Capsule Corp with only the company of her child to keep her sane.

And that sanity was beginning to wear thin.

_A scream._

_Laughter._

_The pungent stench of death._

_Vegeta stomped through the hazy lighting of the half-constructed building in his mechanical bio suit, scanning and testing the machine's functions to all their ability. His sharp eyes darted forward upon registering life forms close by. They alighted to two figures standing not five meters away._

_One of them, short and frail-looking, tossed a small metal clip at the suit. It attached like a magnet to the front of the metal casing and sent out an electric pulse, rendering the suit useless and its occupant completely vulnerable._

_The bigger of the two was upon Vegeta in a flash, wearing the arms of a suit himself and using the three pronged, clawed hands to tear away the front of the Saiya-jin's mech._

_They took their time with him. Torturing his body, crushing the bones of his arms at the elbow until there was nothing but a bloody mass within a limp sac of skin. They tore him apart, piece by piece, until nothing was left but his upper torso. And when they got to that, they took even more time with him._

_They never even bothered with removing his heart for him to see just before he died. They never lobbed off his head with any blunt object._

_No._

_They went straight for his brain._

_The frail man reached up with a long, pointed finger and drove it straight through the Saiya-jin's forehead. A liquid-like beam then drifted slowly from his digit, moving like a wisp of smoke, burning away Vegeta's brain piece by piece as if unraveling it._

_It seemed to take forever, but when the last wisp of liquid fire fizzled out the last of what was once the proud Vegeta no Oji, there wasn't even a bit of ash remaining. All that remained were the screams echoing throughout the half-finished buildingthe fading echoes of Vegeta's last breathand the continuing ones of his mate, watching the whole gory scene from a video monitor and not able to do a thing to save him._

Kaikatsu woke with a start to hear her four-month-old baby crying for his feeding. She had that same dream again. No, that same _nightmare_. Why couldn't she just get past it? There wasn't anything she could have possibly done to save her mate's life, but she still felt guilty that she didn't do anything at all to even try.

It was so horrible, the way they tortured him. It was burned upon her memory just as if someone had branded it there with a hot iron. His screams. His blood. The look of absolute horror upon his face; a look that should never have been placed there—a look that was so foreign to him, it still brought bitter, stinging tears to her eyes upon remembering.

"_Shhh_" she cooed, "Tano-_chan_shush, baby. Mama's getting your milk ready."

She went about the necessary procedure of unbuttoning her shirt and lifting the tiny baby from his crib, then settled him against her breast. Rocking slowly as her baby nursed, she hummed a melancholic tune she was fond of, all the while, trying desperately to pull away from that horrible vision.

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Japanese — English Translation  
  


-jin — person (Saiya-jin - Saiya person; Chikyu-jin - Earth person)  
Oji — prince (Vegeta no Oji - Prince Vegeta)  
-chan — used for a person's given name to express intimacy and affection (Tano-chan)


	2. Chapter 2: Saiyajin Mission

A big THANK YOU to whomever reviewed my first chapter. I admit, it was a little...gory, but that was just the first chapter. The rest of the story isn't quite so bad, so don't worry. We get into much more normal stuff in this chapter. We get introduced to some characters coming from the _Beetlejuice_ side of things, and if you've read any of my previous stories, you'll know who they are. ^_^ Things begin to get set up in this chapter, and the story is beginning to progress. Hopefully, if you read on, you will enjoy yourself, just as I did when I wrote it!  
  
Again, thank you for the reviews!  
  
  
  


Saiya-jin Voyage  
Spencers13 2002-2003  
PG-13 – Action/Adventure – Sci-Fi – Drama  
  
All characters, ship & place names © Spencers13 except  
Vegeta, Goku, Gohan, Goten, Chichi, Bulma, Mr. & Mrs. Briefs, Freeza & any DBZ concepts and place names © Akira Toriyama  
Beetlejuice © Geffen Film Co. 

Chapter Two - Saiya-jin Mission  
  


"Captain?" Kyle asked, grabbing the attention of his superior. "Look here." He pointed to a digital map on one of the small screens on the control console before them. On it was displayed the wire-frames of several planets orbiting a single star. "The third planet from the star is the only one in this system capable of supporting life. According to these charts, it's already inhabited as well."

"What's the planet's name?" Captain Endri asked, touching his two index fingers to his pursed bottom lip in thought.

"Chikyu."

"Mmm," Endri hummed aloud, digging into the recesses of his mind. That name sounded familiar. "What was it again?"

"Chikyu, Sir," Kyle repeated. "Should we head down and land? Do you think there are any Saiya-jin there?"

The captain bounced his foot upon the metal flooring of the deck, bobbing his knee in thought. He sat in the centermost chair of three along the main console, stretched across the curved front of the small bridge. The room was big enough to fit only about ten people, standing and packed together around all the equipment.

The man ran a pale hand through his long blonde hair, stopping to scratch at the back of his neck a second before finishing his finger's trek. His metallic, sparkling, green eyes darted back and forth with his thought processes. Rings of dark violet surrounded those faceted eyes that were almost afire with twinkles that came from within. Endri's eyes literally sparkled with their own light, albeit a bit subdued.

"You said, Chikyu?"

"Aye, Sir," Kyle confirmed, rotating his chair toward his captain's. "Why? Is there something wrong?"

"Iseem to recall something about that particular planet."

Endri's white-haired second-in-command quirked a white eyebrow above one blue eye, looking at him with a bit of disbelief. "You've even _heard_ of this backwater planet?"

The pale-blonde smirked and tapped his temple. "You forgetmy memory is like no other. I remember something about one of the children being sent to this planet to purge and prepare it for sale. And it may surprise you, but I think I've been here beforea long, long time ago."

"How long ago was _that?_"

"Before you were born, I'll tell you that," Endri smirked.

"And what about the child? How long ago do you suppose he was sent here?"

"Just beforeour planet was destroyed."

A low growl erupted from Kyle's throat before he could reign it in. "I seeapparently the child failed in his mission. Perhaps the inhabitants were able to destroy him?"

"I don't know. We'll need to scan for Saiya-jin power levels. If there are any down there, we'll pick them up."

Kyle nodded and swiveled his chair back toward his section of the console. He pressed his fingers to the flat, touch sensitive buttons that would begin the scans and sat back to wait.

After several hours of waiting and more than thirty orbits around the small, blue-green planet, a beep finally sounded, indicating the scan of the surface complete.

"Check that, will you?" the captain mumbled around a mouthful of _keiniku_, the Saiya-jin version of chicken.

Kyle grunted around his own mouthful of food and swiveled his chair to the right, swiping away a few empty food wrappers and running his fingers over the flat buttons once more. Almost immediately, a readout popped up onto the screen before him, scrolling slowly enough for him to read.

After he swallowed his bite, he related some of the information. "Looks like the population is in the billions. Different variations of the same speciesmillions of forms of flora and fauna" he hummed. "Says here that the inhabitants, called 'Humans', are similar to Saiya-jin in appearance. Only appearance, though. Their _ki's_ are miserably lowbut–Hey, what's this? A power level over 60,000?!"

Endri sat up, swallowing his bite. "Saiya-jin?"

Kyle looked over the readout with great interest. His eyes froze on a single word displayed at the end of a line in their language: _Saiya-jin._

"We're landing immediately," Endri commanded.

"_Hai_, Captain!"

Son Goku stepped outside his small capsule home in the hills and stared off into the clear blue sky, a frown on his usually carefree face. His eldest son, Gohan, jogged up to him, joining him in staring heavenward.

"Do you feel it, Dad?"

Goku nodded, the frown never leaving his brow. "Yesand I don't like it. The power level is even greater than Freeza's. It's almost terrifying."

"I know. What should we do?" his son asked quietly.

"We have no choice but to wait and see. They're heading this way, whoever they are."

Goten, Goku's other son of about seven years, tore around the house and up to his tall father. The little boy looked like an exact copy of the man with his hair spiked many ways from the top, side, and back of his head, with the same coal-black eyes and carefree attitude. He ran up to Goku, eyes wild with wonder.

"Daddy! What's that weird feeling? It's makin' me all tingly!"

Goku smiled down at his son. The little boy never ceased to amaze him with how quickly his abilities were developing. "Someone very strong is coming here," he explained. "What you feel is their _ki_."

"Wow!" Goten cooed. "Is he stronger than _you_, Dad?!"

Goku's eyes returned to the sky where he saw the beginnings of a shining dot appear through the atmosphere. "I'm afraid so, son. Let's just hope they aren't here to cause trouble."

Captain Endri's silver ship, the MSC Rishelieu, landed with an earth-quaking tremble, sending shudders up Goku's spine. The ship alone was enormous, spanning at least 5,000 feet from bow to stern and crushing large groves of trees with its skids.

Chichi rushed from the Son's small capsule home in a near panic, racing up to her husband and clutching to his arm. "G-Goku! What is that?! What's it doing here?!"

Goku laid a comforting hand upon her shoulder and pressed her back into his eldest son's arms. "I'm not sure, Chichi but I'm sure we'll find out soon enough."

His suspicions were correct as, from high up on the side of the giant, winged ship, a small door slid open, revealing a man standing in its metal frame. From such a great distance, it was hard to see any features on his person for a normal human, but Goku could easily see the man's long, blonde hair flowing in the slight breeze at the high altitude.

A moment later, the man leapt from the doorway, sailing down at a steady pace, only to slow his decent to a crawl and land softly upon the grass. A few seconds later, another figure appeared in the doorway high above and repeated the blonde's action, leaping out and sailing down to touch gracefully to the solid ground. They looked at one another, then their surroundings with the slightest bit of awe, and, finally, alighted their eyes to Goku and his family, all staring at them with mixed emotions.

It was Endri who stepped forward first, Kyle close at his heels. They walked the relatively large distance within a minute's time and stood a few yards away from Goku, everyone watching everyone else with a wary eye.

The tense silence was finally broken by Endri's smooth voice calling across the way. "_Kon'nichi wa_!"

A smile lifted Goku's once stern expression immediately. "_Oi_!" he called, raising a hand in greeting.

Endri and Kyle took that as an invitation, striding over to close the distance between them and the still nervous-looking family. They stopped a safe distance away and completed their greeting by bowing slightly.

"Hello," Endri greeted again, using a universal language. "My name is Endri. This is my first officer, Kyle."

"I'm Son Goku! And this is my son, Gohan, and my other son, Goten, and that's Chichi," he said, pointing to each one in turn. Both Endri and Kyle nodded politely, but seemed to be more concerned with Goku than the others. "Hey!" he yelled, stopping Endri before he could utter another word. "You've got tails! Just like I used to!"

The men looked down in acknowledgement of their own brown, furry tails coiled about their waists.

"Used to?" Kyle mumbled.

"Sir, tell me," Endri said, getting right to the point. He was not one to be idle. "Are you Saiya-jin?"

"Hey, yeah! Are you guys Saiya-jin too?!"

The white-haired first officer looked to his superior with a bit of surprise. _This_ was the Saiya baby sent to destroy the planet all those years ago? He found it a little hard to believe. His name wasn't even Saiya.

"We are," Endri confirmed, "But we are only half Saiya-jin. We have come looking for Saiya-jin who wish to return with us to live among our people again. What is your Saiya name?" If this man wasn't who he said he was, their searches would have been false, and their time wasted.

"Saiya name?" Goku pondered, reaching up to scratch at the back of his head in thought.

"Dad," Gohan called, grabbing his father's attention. "It's the name thatthat Vegeta-_san_ used to call you."

Goku's eyes lowered at the mention of Vegeta's name, but his memory was sparked. "Oh, yeah. Kakarotto."

"Vegeta?" Endri mused. "Vegeta _no Oji_?"

Goku winced. "Y-Yeah."

"He is here?" Kyle asked his captain in wonder.

"Used to be," Gohan corrected. "Heabout a year ago."

Endri and his officer were quiet for a long moment, mulling over the information.

"I see," the blonde half Saiya-jin mumbled. "Wellsince you are here, I extend our invitation to you and your sons. They are both half breeds?"

Goku only nodded, still caught in his downed mood.

"I will explain," Endri went on. "The few Saiya-jin that escaped Freeza's reign of destruction have banded together and colonized a new planet for their race. Scout ships such as mine have been commissioned and dispatched to locate and bring back any willing Saiya-jin that still lives. Be they full, half, or quarter breedseven if they only have the smallest amount of Saiya-jin DNA within their bodies, they are asked to join us in returning to our new planet, New Vegeta-_sei_. Will you join us? You will finally be able to live among your brothers and sisters again."

Goku soaked in the information with a critical ear, understanding what was being asked of him, much to the surprise of his family. Normally, the Saiya-jin was a bit slow in thought, but he had a heart of gold and was always the fastest and strongest in a fight. But not _everything_ was lost on him.

"I get what your asking, but I'm gonna have to say no. This planet has been my home since I can remember. I was raised here, and now I'm raising my family here. I can't just leave them. Even if they all come with me, there are still a lot of people here that we all would miss, and they would miss _us_ too. I don't think we can go. But I won't make the decision for them," he said, turning to his sons. "Gohan? Goten? What do you want to do?"

Gohan smiled and nodded to Kyle and Endri. "I'm sorry, but I have to agree with my dad. I don't really want to leave. This place has always been my home."

The two men nodded in understanding, having heard many similar rejections before.

Little Goten stepped forward, holding his mother's hand for moral support. "I'm stayin' too. I'll be all lonely in space and stuff."

They chuckled and nodded once more.

"Then we will leave you in peace," Endri said with a small smirk, bowing his head once more. He made to turn and leave, when he suddenly stopped, forgetting an important question. "I neglected to ask before, but are there any other Saiya-jin on this planet that we may extend the same invitation to?"

Goku began shaking his head 'no', but stopped. "Yesthere is."

"Where might we find them?"

"At Capsule Corp in West City. It'sV-Vegeta-_kun's_ little baby."

Endri's eyes widened as well as Kyle's.

"Vegeta-_oji_ had a brat here?!" the white-haired man almost shouted.

Goku's brows pulled down again. "He isn't a brat. He's a sweet little baby. And his mother is just as nice." His frown lifted quickly. "I can take you to 'em, easy."

Endri nodded. "We will go."

Goku stepped up to both men and laid a hand to Endri's shoulder. "Hold onto him," he instructed Kyle. Quizzically, the man reached up and placed a hand upon Endri's other shoulder. "Be back in a bit, Chichi!" Goku called before laying his index and middle fingers to his forehead, frowning in concentration, and then vanishing in a quick flash, the two half Saiya-jin visitors in tow.

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Japanese — English Translation  
  


Chikyu — Earth  
keiniku — chicken  
ki — Spirit or Soul; described here as energy inside a person they can manipulate into projectiles, fly with, etc.  
hai — yes  
Kon'nichi wa — Good morning!  
Oi — Hey!  
-san — Mr. Mrs. or Ms. (informal)  
-kun — Mr. or Ms. Used in addressing younger people or colleagues in place of '-san' or '-sama'.  
-oji — prince (Vegeta-oji - Prince Vegeta)  
-sei — short for Wakusei (planet); used to identify planet names (New Vegeta-sei; Tetrus-sei)


	3. Chapter 3: Departure

I want to thank Windra and Wanda for reviewing each of my chapters. I'm glad you guys are intrigued so far! I'll let you know, BJ will be in this story too! Haha! It's funny to turn him into an alien instead of a ghost. Oh, and if you guys (or anyone else really) have any questions, please, feel free to ask.  
  
Oh, and Windra: don't worry if you don't know anything about what happened in _DBZ_ after the Freeza saga. This story takes place after Freeza is destroyed, but nothing else in the _DBZ_ Universe has taken place since then, so it's been like...peaceful times or something. :P  
  
Okay, I think I'm done. Hope everyone enjoys this next chapter as it's pretty long. And if you do, please let me know in a review! Thanks so much! ^_^  
  
  
  


Saiya-jin Voyage  
Spencers13 2002-2003  
PG-13 – Action/Adventure – Sci-Fi – Drama  
  
All characters, ship & place names © Spencers13 except  
Vegeta, Goku, Gohan, Goten, Chichi, Bulma, Mr. & Mrs. Briefs, Freeza & any DBZ concepts and place names © Akira Toriyama  
Beetlejuice © Geffen Film Co. 

Chapter Three - Departure  
  


Bulma Briefs trudged through the huge living room in Capsule Corp with a large basket of clothes for the wash. It was her day off from managing her father's abundant company, and time for a little housework. The maid bots usually did most of the work, but she just didn't quite feel human unless she did a little _something_ to help around the house. Today, it was laundry.

Goku and company materialized before her, and she screamed, tossing the basket into the air, clothes flying in all directions. The empty basket plopped down over Goku's head, and a bra just happened to land on Captain Endri's head, dangling down at his pointed, elfin ears. Kyle was the only one left unscathed, and he barely suppressed his laughter at the situation.

"_Son-kun!!_" Bulma shrieked, making all three Saiya-jin cover their sensitive ears. "How many times do I have to tell you?! Don't just pop in like that! You nearly scared me to death!"

"Sorry, Bulma. I forgot," Goku said sheepishly, lifting the basket away from his head and tossing it to the side.

Endri followed suit, removing the offending article of clothing from his blonde locks and tossing it as casually as possible into the basket. "If I hear _anything_ I don't like coming from your mouth, Kyle, I'll throw you in the brig. Understand?" he grumbled, a dangerous edge to his tone.

Kyle's face straightened immediately, and he stood straight at attention, hands clasped behind his back. "Aye, Captain. Perfectly."

"What an interesting way to travel. What is that technique?" Endri asked.

Goku grinned. "It's called '_Shunkan Ido_'. Instantaneous movement. It works by teleporting you directly to a _ki_ you fix onto instead of just using super speed."

"How handy," Kyle said, quirking an eyebrow at his captain.

"Who are these two?" Bulma asked her long-time friend.

"Oh! Right!" Goku piped, his ear to ear smile reforming. "This is"

Endri smirked, extending his right hand. "Captain Endri Juice, Madam." Bulma blushed slightly, taking his hand in a gentle shake.

"Right! And this is" Goku tried to continue.

"First Officer Kyle Bennington, Ma'am." Kyle grinned roguishly, extending his hand as well.

Again, Bulma exchanged pleasantries, a light blush staining her cheeks. These two were quite the handsome pair! The blue-haired, blue-eyed scientist took her time examining her two new houseguests, gazing at them from top to bottom, never minding their uneasiness under her stare.

Captain Endri was strong-looking and built, about five foot ten with muscles that were defined and toned under pale, smooth skin. His blue-grey tank top was loose and hung over his chest lightly, exposing the tops of his carved pectorals. His pants were the same color, made of a sort of jean material, but thinner and more comfortable looking. They were tight, but not overly so, hanging just a bit loose and bulging in just the right placesfor Bulma. His hair was long and pale-blonde, cascading past his shoulders to lay neatly at the bottoms of his shoulder blades. His bangs, if they were all brushed forward, would cover the top half of his face. They were parted down the center, however, and hung to each side, framing his handsome features and bringing out the green in his eyes and the pale tips of his pointed ears.

Kyle was quite different. His skin was pale, but not quite so pale as his captain's. Where Endri's skin was verging on almost bluish-white, Kyle's had a healthy peach tint. He was about five foot eight and thinner than the captain, not being quite as muscular, but still very ripped. He wore no shirt, but rather a mid-back length, sleeveless jacket made from sturdy but soft light grey material. The jacket only covered about four or five inches across each pectoral and was skin tight at the shoulders, but flared out just a bit at the bottom, giving him ample room to breathe. His pants were tight, but not constricting, and tucked into white, clunky boots, very similar to Endri's. The pants were low cut in the shape of a flat-bottomed "V" around his waist, the dip plunging low on his torso, exposing all of his abdominal muscles. His hair was snowy white and short, spiking up into the air in all directions, more fluffy and soft than stiff and unmanageable. A small puff of light grey flared from his upswept bangs, giving him a two-toned appearance.

Both men were ruggedly handsome in that "mysterious, renegade men from space" kind of way. They both had a furry brown tail coiling around their waist to keep it protected. Endri's tail, however, wrapped _twice_ around his waist before tucking into itself in the back! Had it been uncoiled, it would have been able to sweep the floor by more than five inches! Most Saiya-jin tails only reached about mid-calf. Maybe that was the reason he was captain and the other only second in command?

"From the way you both look, you'd think _he_ was the captain," Bulma commented, pointing to Kyle, "and _you_ were the copilot," she finished, swinging her finger in Endri's direction.

"My command status is not in question, Madam. What we are here for is to see this Saiya-jin child Son Goku told us about."

Bulma's demeanor changed instantly, dropping to almost sadness. "Oh. You must mean Kaikatsu's baby. Why do you want to see her?"

"We would like to extend to her and her child an invitation," Endri answered.

"Well," she hummed, not sure if she trusted those two.

Goku piped up finally. "Oh, come-on, Bulma! Where's she at? They wanna ask her a question!"

"What is it with you being so damn trusting of complete strangers, Goku?" she mumbled.

The tall Saiya-jin scratched behind his head with one hand and shrugged with the opposite shoulder. "Wellya know. It's just a feeling, ya know? Their _ki_ isn't evil."

Bulma sighed. "With you, Goku, it's always a 'feeling'. ButI guess you're right. They don't _look_ too evil."

After another once or twice over the strange duo, she finally consented, waving her hand for them to follow her back a long hallway. They passed by many rooms, all lush and luxurious, until they made it to the end of the hall. Bulma pressed a small round button emblazoned with a green up arrow on the wall, and a few moments later, the sliding doors before them opened into an elevator lift, and they all filed inside. The ride was short, and soon they were on the third floor, heading down another hallway.

"This place is a maze," Kyle quietly commented.

His superior only nodded with a low hum in return.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, they reached a closed door at the far end of the hall.

"I have to warn you. She's not exactly talkativenot for a long time now," Bulma mentioned before opening the door. She knocked on the solid oak a few times before entering completely. "Kai-_chan_? Are you here?" The blue-haired woman made her way through the huge suite, checking every other room until she came to the glass balcony doors. One door was hanging open allowing a slight breeze to drift through and play with the sheer curtains. "_Oh, no!_" Bulma whispered, catching the attention of her three male houseguests just now joining her near the doors. She rushed forward and darted out onto the balcony. "Kai-_chan_! Kai!" she called, fearing the worst.

She stopped dead behind a wooden rocking chair in the center of the large balcony overlooking the backyard gardens of Capsule Corporation. It slowly rocked under the power of two small legs extending from a dress of soft white. A head of blonde hair poked up over the back of the chair, and the soft coo of a baby reached everyone's ears as they made their way onto the balcony.

"Oh, Kai-_chan_! You scared me!" Bulma sighed, panting with nerves.

Her only answer was the rocking of the chair and a slight breeze carrying a small giggle from Kaikatsu's baby.

"Kai-_chan_, some people are here to see you."

Bulma motioned for Kyle and Endri to step forward, and they did so, rounding the rocking chair and standing off to the left side. They gazed appreciatively at the woman for a moment, taking in her ethereal beauty. She was small all over; a pale-skinned wraith in a flowing dress of the softest white cotton. Her features were soft and delicate. Blonde hair cascaded to her shoulders and fluffy bangs puffed about her forehead. In her small arms, she held a baby. It's tiny Saiya-jin tail poked out from its blanket and was curled around the woman's wrist. The baby boy had a perfect head of spiked Saiya-jin hair as well, so brown it was almost black. His little black eyes were wide with wonder, taking in as much as possible. As soon as he caught sight of the two half Saiya-jin, he raised his chubby arms and cooed, a bright smile upon his pudgy face.

Endri and Kyle looked at one another.

"Hewants to be picked up, I believe," Kyle informed his captain with a barely contained smirk.

At that moment, Kaikatsu finally moved, dropping her icy blue eyes to her child. Endri watched her languid movements and understood exactly what her problem seemed to be. She was depressed—completely and utterly depressed. He suspected, were it not for the child, she would have tried to end her life long ago. Why, was the question. Why was she like that?

Kaikatsu's thin lips finally parted, and her voice eked out, hollow and lonely. "He's never wanted anyone to pick him up before. Except me."

The baby swung his little arms about in frustration and reached out again, grasping his tiny, pudgy fingers toward Captain Endri.

"He wants you to pick him up, Sir," Kyle said.

Endri crossed his strong arms across his chest. "I do not pick up babies."

At that second, the baby burst into tears, thrashing his little arms madly and batting his tail against his mother's wrist.

"You made him cry," Kyle reprimanded, still being careful not to overstep his boundaries with the captain.

"I told you, I don't—"

"WAHHHH-ah-ah-ahhhh!"

Endri sighed. "Fine. I will hold him."

He reached down, resting questioning eyes to Kaikatsu's. Upon her slight nod, he wrapped his hands around the small baby and lifted it to his broad chest. Immediately, the child ceased crying and cooed with delight, fisting little handfuls of the man's blue-grey tank top. He backpedaled a step, carefully holding the baby to himself, almost scared to use too much or too little force in his grip. Instinctively, the baby's tail coiled around Endri's wrist, startling him and surprising everyone else present.

Kaikatsu stood slowly from her chair and carefully looked over the two men who had come to see her. "Who are you?"

Endri looked up from his small burden and smirked, bowing his head slightly in favor of reaching a hand out. "I am Captain Endri Juice, Miss. This is my first officer, Kyle Bennington," he said, nodding toward Kyle. "We are on this planet searching for Saiya-jin. Son Goku here has been kind enough to direct us to you and this child. He is a half-breed?"

Kaikatsu nodded letting her eyes drift down to the men's waists. "Y-You're Saiya-jin?"

"We are both _half_ Saiya-jin, Ma'am," Kyle corrected.

"We are here to invite you and your child to come back with us to New Vegeta-_sei_, a planet the surviving Saiya-jin have colonized. Kyle and I are on a scouting mission in search of as many Saiya-jin that will return with us as possible. We are rebuilding the Saiya empire, only this time, that bastard lizard Freeza is not our governor. We rule ourselves," Endri explained.

Kaikatsu nodded slowly, soaking in the information one word at a time.

"If you come with us, your child will be able to grow up among his brethren. He will be able to be taught Saiya-jin ways. And—"

"I'll go with you."

Everyone fell silent, shocked by her quick and decisive answer.

Bulma inched her way over and laid a gentle hand to Kaikatsu's shoulder. "Are you sure, Kai-_chan_? They're talking about leaving this planet, going to a completely different one, living among strangers who could kill you with their pinky!"

"No harm will come to her," Endri stated firmly, a frown on his brow. "She must care for the child," he finished, glancing down to the tiny creature he cradled to his chest.

"Now wait a minute!" Bulma screeched. "How can we be sure you guys are legit? I mean, you could be trying to take her to some slave camp and make her serve you jerk-for-brains Saiya-jin! No offense, Goku."

The tall Saiyan shrugged.

"I assure you, woman, no harm will come to this woman nor her child. I swear upon my honor! Besideswhy would we go to so much trouble to kidnap only _her_ for slavery?"

Bulma closed her mouth, seeing the logic, but opened it again just as quickly. "But, Kai-_chan_, are you sure? Have you really thought this all the way though?"

Kaikatsu nodded, languidly stepping over to the railing of the balcony. Her voice carried over to them, soft and sad. "It's what he would have wanted."

"Ahh," Goku cooed, speaking up at last. "Yeah, Vegeta was always strong in his Saiya-jin beliefs. He never failed to remind people who he was and where he came from. I think he would want his baby growing up with other Saiya-jin too."

Bulma closed her eyes and turned her back to them. "I see. Kai-_chan_, why don't you stay out here and get to know these men better while Goku and I pack your things?"

"That would be wise," Endri said. "We are unfortunately on a tight schedule. We must leave within the next hour or so."

Bulma nodded curtly and walked back into the building, tugging Goku along with her.

Endri and Kyle glanced nervously at each other, unsure of what to say or do now that they were alone with their new acquaintance. The baby was quite content with staying curled against Endri's chest, but he was feeling a little awkward holding it. Cautiously, so as not to disturb the dozing infant, he stepped over to his first officer.

"Hold the child," he instructed.

"Me?" Kyle asked, pointing to himself. "I-I don't really hold brats, Sir."

"That's an _order_, Commander," Endri growled low.

Gulping, Kyle reached out and curled his fingers gently around the baby, lifting him from Endri's grip to rest him against his own chest. The little one stirred, looking up to his new carrier on a wobbly neck. Upon sensing that man was also Saiya-jin, the baby rested his head upon Kyle's bare chest and coiled his tail around the man's wrist, settling back into his nap.

Endri stepped over to Kaikatsu by the railing. He joined her in staring out across the landscape for a moment before venturing a question. "What is the boy's name?"

"Tanoshiiko," she replied simply.

"You didn't name him after the father?"

The woman shook her head sadly, never making eye contact. "He already looks too much like him. Having the same namecouldn't bear it."

Kyle heard their words from a few feet away and joined in. "Missplease. What happened to Vegeta-_oji_? How did he die?"

"It was _my_ fault," Bulma said from the balcony door, having been brought out by the question. "If I hadn't asked him to test my new bio suit, he would still be alive today."

"Bio suit?" Kyle wondered, slowly swaying to and fro to keep the baby calm.

Goku appeared in the door behind Bulma, laying a hand to her shoulder. "Don't blame yourself, Bulma. How could you have known what would have happened?"

"It _is_ my fault, Son-_kun_!" she countered, spinning around to hug against his chest. "That bio suit was his death! It _allowed_ him be killed!" Tears slipped down, and she sobbed brokenly, soaking the front of Goku's orange _gi_.

The tall Saiya-jin rubbed her back soothingly and looked toward the two men. "I'll tell you what happened," he half whispered, knowing they could hear just fine with their super-sensitive ears. "Vegeta-_kun_ was testing Bulma's new bio suit for her in a building under construction further into town," he began. "It was at night, so no one would know they were there. Bulma and Kaikatsu were in a van parked outside watching the test from some video screens to make sure things went well. That's when he was attacked. There were two of them. An old guy and a big younger guy. They paralyzed Vegeta's suit and him inside it. Hewas helpless. They" he paused, finding the memory hard to relate even for him.

Bulma's cries intensified in sorrow, but Kaikatsu simply stayed where she was, her face unreadable.

"They tortured himt-tearing his body apartcrushing it. Th-The last thing they destroyed was his brainburning it away like it was un-unraveling." Kyle gasped, and Endri closed his eyes against the visual Goku's words molded. "We don't know why they did it, why they went after just Vegeta or even knew he would be there that nightbut they will never cause harm to another again. _I_ saw to that," Goku finished.

"Poor Vegeta-_sama_," Kyle mumbled.

It was then that Kaikatsu finally snapped, slipping down, unable to support her own weight anymore. Endri's arms shot out and helped to support her on her way down and cradled her against himself. Her weight was slight in his arms as she sagged, broken, into him. She sobbed as though everything in her world had just been destroyed.

At that moment, even her baby began to squirm uncomfortably in Kyle's hands before bursting into screeching wails.

Goku looked regretfully between the three sobbing people, opting to try to take at least one from the picture. He wrapped his arms around Bulma's back and lead her gently back into the room where he would attempt to calm her on his own.

By then, Kaikatsu was weeping with such poignancy, her entire body shook on its thin frame. "_Vegeta!!_" she cried out suddenly, fisting Endri's shirt into her palms. Her baby wailed louder at her strained voice, lashing his small tail agitatedly.

Endri growled. "Kyle! Silence the child! They are upsetting each other further." The other half Saiya-jin shrugged, not knowing what to do. "Do something to calm him!" the captain ordered, trying to gently stroke the woman's hair.

"What should I do?"

"I don't know! Sing to him or something."

"_S-Sing?!_"

"Hum a tune, I don't care. Just calm him!"

Kyle glanced about, trying to think quickly, the wails of the child and his mother getting to him. Finally, his mind settled on a little tune he remembered from when he was a child. His mother used to sing it to him when he was upset. It seemed so long ago. He didn't even remember what his mother looked like or who she was, but he remembered her sweet voice singing:

_Toora, loora, loora  
Toora, loora, li  
Toora, loora, loora  
Hush, now, don't you cry_

Endri looked up, surprised to actually hear Kyle's voice raised in a soft lullaby. The words were foreign to him, but the tune was pleasant. The baby's wails were not abating, however, so Kyle continued his soft singing, closing his eyes and letting some of his longing slip through among the words. Longing for a mother he barely knew.

_Ah,  
Toora, loora, loora  
Toora, loora, li  
Toora, loora, loora  
__It's an Irish lullaby _

Endri noticed the woman beginning to calm as well as her baby. He paid close attention to the tune his first officer was singing, and when he got it down, began to hum along, trying to add to the calming effect it was beginning to have.

Kaikatsu sniffled and raised her head, quieting with Kyle's words. The tune was so familiar, and did he just say "Irish"?

_Over in Killarney, many years ago  
My mother sang this song to me in tones so sweet and low  
Just a simple little ditty in her good old Irish way  
And I'd give the world if she could sing that song to me this day _

_Toora, loora, loora  
Toora, loora, li  
Toora, loora, loora  
Hush, now, don't you cry_

He _did_ say Irish. How did a half Saiya-jin from another planet know an old Irish lullaby?

_Ah,  
Toora, loora, loora  
Toora, loora, li  
Toora, loora, loora  
It's an Irish lullaby_

The song did its trick.

The baby quieted and snuggled close to Kyle's chest, wrapping his little tail around the man's wrist once more. Kaikatsu quieted as well, sniffling and nuzzling into Endri's chest a little closer as he stroked her hair and back. She made a mental note to ask Kyle about his Irish tune later.

Endri stood, drawing her up with him and helping to hold her steady on her feet. She nodded to him, and he cautiously released her, watching warily as she walked over and reclaimed her baby from Kyle.

The captain walked over and stood next to his commander, both of them watching the woman head back indoors to help finish with the packing.

"Sheis a bit odd," Kyle commented offhand.

Endri let out a small "humph". "She isn't odd. She is lonely and heartbroken with only her child to keep her sane at this point. We seem to have come at an inopportune time. Everyone's feelings are still quite raw. Vegeta-_sama_ has left quite an impression on these people. I regret not being able to meet him in person."

"As do I."

They watched silently as the people inside bustled about, finally calm and trying to pack Kaikatsu's belongings as quickly as possible.

"I didn't know you could sing like that."

Kyle lowered his eyes and turned out toward the gardens. "I never planned on repeating that song to anyone."

"Not even to your own children?"

"_Pbfft!_ Captain. Brats? Me?"

Endri smirked, resting his backside against the metal railing of the balcony and crossing his arms. "I suppose you're right. I've never pictured you with brats myself."

Kyle chuckled, trying to memorize the lush greenery his gaze rested upon. "What about you, Captain? Are there any brats in your future?"

"Me? You should know that answer already."

He nodded. "But you never know, Sir. You never know."

"Kyle, to have children, I would require a mate. And you _know_ I will never take one."

"It just seems a bit lonely in the long run."

"_Humph_. You know how long the 'long run' will be for me," Endri sighed. "I don't want to deal with the emotional baggage of having a mate and losing her like that. Not to mention the possibility of losing the child as well."

Kyle smiled and closed his eyes, delving into another thing his mother once said that stuck with him till this day. "'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.'"

"Tell that to her gravestone," Endri grumbled.

Bulma, Goku, and Kaikatsu holding her baby returned to the balcony at that point.

"Here are her things," Bulma said, dropping a small capsule about two inches long into Endri's hand.

The man blinked for a moment at the strange—and very small—object in his palm. "This is it?" he asked.

"Isn't that enough?" Bulma asked, propping hands to her hips.

"Uh" He stared at the capsule. "Doesn't she need baby supplies and clothing?"

The blue-haired woman sighed irritably. "It's all in there! Clothes, diapers, formula, and any other belonging she has."

"In this little thing?" Endri asked, pinching the capsule between his thumb and forefinger. "What is it?"

"It's a Hoipoi Capsule," she said smugly.

"Hoipoi?" Kyle and Endri repeated at the same time, both staring at the tiny object.

"You can store anything in those babies. Up to ten metric tons per capsule. Just depress the little plunger on top and toss it somewhere level. Make sure you got enough room first."

Endri fingered the capsule. "T-Ten metric tons? In this little thing? What sort of technology is it?"

"My dad invented it. It's capsule technology. Dad's company, Capsule Corp, was founded on that little invention your holding. No one on this planet hasn't heard of Hoipoi Capsules."

Kyle whistled, showing how impressed he was. He looked at the sun's position in the sky and reached down to pluck a small, hand-held device from his boot cuff. He pressed a button that produced a _beep_, then nudged his captain. "We need to leave if we are to make it to our next destination on time."

Endri nodded, tossing the capsule up and catching it in his hand before depositing it into a hidden pocket in his loose pants. "Son Goku, if you please, take us back to our ship?"

"_Hai_!"

Bulma and Kaikatsu exchanged brief, but heartfelt good-byes, and then all three adults rested a hand on Goku's shoulders as he raised two fingers to his forehead. The small group vanished back to the Son's home high in the mountains of Mount Paozu about 400 miles away.

Pleasant good-byes were shared with Goku's family, Kaikatsu, her baby, and the two half Saiya-jin when they arrived. Soon, however, Kyle was instructed to fly the woman and her child up to the ship and show her to her new living quarters.

Endri said his last farewells to the Son family and lifted himself up toward the side hatch and entered his ship once more. About ten minutes later, the huge cruiser was gaining altitude with a loud roar and rush of wind, and finally winked out of the Earth's atmosphere back into space. Their new destination was Tetrus-_sei_, a trading planet about six months away at full light speed. Hating to waste time, Endri plotted their course into the ship's computer and got them underway immediately. Now the only thing he needed to worry about was what to eat for dinner.

He contemplated his choices as he made his way to the lift and stood inside as the doors slid shut. "Deck three," he commanded of no one.

The lift shuddered and sailed downward stopping at the third deck of four.

The first deck of the massive cruise ship was only the small bridge. Deck two was composed of large storage bays, the medical bay, lunch room, gravity simulator, and a huge training room for sparring. The third deck housed living quarters for up to thirty people, and deck four harbored the engines and other technology needed to power the Rishelieu. That deck also sported an observation lounge at the very front of the ship with huge windows all around, allowing an unobstructed view of space beyond.

The entire ship was automated save the necessary commands needed to be programmed at different intervals such as where to go. Only Kyle and Endri manned the ship plus their newest addition of Kaikatsu and her baby that day. At times, the captain felt a bit lost in such a huge ship run by only two people, but then, he would remember how much he despised the presence of most other life forms, and he would be glad for the solitude.

Kyle was the only other man he could get along with without wanting to kill after a few hours. Their relationship seemed purely professional, only dipping into friendly conversation occasionally. Kyle seemed wary of trying to extend the professionalism into friendship, probably due to the fact that he had no clue as to how Endri would react, and he valued his skin more than having the man as his friend. The captain was the stronger of the two by far and unafraid to beat upon his commander in a sparring match or two. Kyle would put up a good fight, but Endri would always emerge the victor.

So, for the past ten years, they ran Endri's ship together, searching out more Saiya-jin to take back to New Vegeta-_sei_. He smiled to himself. Yes, the past ten years were some of the best he had had to date, and he attributed most of it to his second-in-command. He would never admit it, not even to Kyle, but he considered the man his friend even if he was afraid to ask Endri to be his.

Their friendship was justunderstood.

The automatic doors slid open on the third deck to reveal the man in question, just reaching up to press the lift button to call it down to his level.

"Captain. I was just about to join you on the bridge."

"No need. I've set course to Tetrus-_sei_. We should arrive within six months," Endri said, stepping from the lift and heading down the long corridor. Kyle turned and followed beside him. "How is the woman adjusting?"

"She's okay. She likes her room. And she's still surprised how Tanoshii has taken a liking to us both so quickly."

"Who?"

"Tanoshiiko. Her baby."

"Right, right. Which room is she in?"

"That one right over—" Kyle began, pointing a finger up the hall.

A low rumble shook the deck beneath their feet followed by an explosion up ahead. The wall burst outward revealing a large, rectangular, metal box poking out through a crumbling hole. The explosion was punctuated by a feminine scream followed by several curses. Kyle and Endri looked at one another before rushing forward and opening the cabin door. It slid open with a _shush_, and they dashed inside, their eyes immediately falling upon Kaikatsu looking rather sheepish.

"I'm so sorry!" she gushed, her voice still quiet even then. "I had no idea my capsule would expand to be so big!

Endri sighed and took in the extent of the damage. Furniture was destroyed, crushed up against the right wall by the metal container. The left wall was practically gone, blown outward when the box expanded and poked through.

Not in space for more than twenty minutes and already she was causing mischief.

"Reduce it back to capsule form," he ordered. "Kyle, take it up to one of the storage bays and expand it there. What did you need out if it, woman?" he asked.

"Some diapers for Tano-_chan_," she replied, stepping over to pick her wriggling child up from the bed.

Endri nodded to Kyle, and the man took the capsule from the room to deck two.

The captain stared at the gaping hole left in the wall and sighed again. "You cannot stay in here. Follow me, I'll show you to a new room." He lead her further down the hall. Two doors down, he pressed the small, lighted green button next to a door, and it whooshed open revealing a dark interior.

"Lights," Endri commanded.

Overhead lights flickered on, revealing the room to be much like Kaikatsu's old onebefore it was destroyed.

"Is this satisfactory?"

She nodded, swaying gently to keep her baby calm until his diapers arrived.

"Good. This will be your home for the next year and a half to two years."

"_What?!_" she yelled, her speaking voice the loudest since he met her earlier that day. "I thought we were going back to your planet!"

Endri smirked. "We are. But we must make stops along the way for supplies and to make any necessary repairs to the ship."

"But I thought we'd be traveling for a week, maybe two at the most!"

"My dear woman, this ship isn't _that_ fast. It will take us at least six months to get to our first destination. I suggest you just start relaxing; Kyle and I will take care of the rest. Dinner will be eaten promptly at 17-00 hours. I expect you to be there. Deck two, lunchroom."

"But!" Kaikatsu mumbled following Endri back to the door. "Two _years?!_"

The half Saiya-jin stopped retreating, scuffing his white boot against the carpeting as he halted. He turned with an irritated sigh and glared at her. "Would you rather go back to your planet? I am certainly not _making_ you come with us."

Her gaze fell to the floor, sadness leaking back into her voice. That tone never seemed to leave her for long. "NoI'll stay. It will be worth itright?"

Endri nodded curtly before leaving her standing alone in the doorway. Kyle emerged from the lift with arms full of bags, boxes, and bottles. The two men exchanged a few words, then the commander made his way back to Kaikatsu and her baby.

"I didn't know what was what," he mumbled behind the large stash, "so I brought a whole bunch of stuff."

She reached up and pulled a bag of diapers from the top of the pile in his arms, revealing his grinning face. She snickered, hardly able to believe a Saiya-jin—even a half Saiya-jin—could be so comicalbesides Goku.

"What was your name again, Sir?" she asked, laying her baby down on the clean blankets of the bed.

"Kyle, Ma'am. And don't call me 'sir'. That title is only for the captain. Just call me Kyle," he huffed, dropping several items to the floor before managing to toss the rest of the stuff to the lush couch facing a large, blank display screen on the wall.

"Kyle, then. You say you're half Saiya-jin?"

"That I am!" he said, bending to retrieve the dropped items.

"What's your other half?"

The man slowed his movements to a crawl, his back to her. "Why do you ask?"

Kaikatsu shrugged innocently, pulling a fresh diaper from the plastic bag. "Just curious."

He stood still, staring at the door, almost wishing he could run from the situation. But he was a Saiya-jin. Saiya-jin don't run from anything. He gripped the fabric of his pants in both fists and cleared his throat. "Idon't know."

She continued to diaper her baby, tearing a small hole in the back for his little tail to poke through. "Really? That's amazing because I swear I've heard that tune you sang to Tano-_chan_ before."

Kyle spun around. "You have?!"

"_Hai_," was all she replied, finishing and picking her baby back up. "How about that, Tano. _Ne_? You like that song? How did it go again?" she said playfully, bouncing Tanoshiiko on her hip. She hummed the exact tune Kyle had sung earlier that day perfectly, giving him a sweet look of innocence as she did so. After a few bars, she could take the look of shock on the man's face no more and gave in. "Do you want to know?"

Kyle nodded firmly, swiping away some of the baby supplies from the couch and spinning it around to face the bed. He sat down, motioning for her to do the same. She took a seat on the bed and made a small nest of the blankets at her side, placing Tanoshiiko in the center.

"Tell me everything you know!"

Kaikatsu smiled and folded her hands into her lap. "The tune is an old Irish lullaby. The Irish live in Ireland, a country on Earth. Now the song isn't solely sung in that one region; it's known over the whole world. Mothers sing it to their children everywhere."

"Ch-Chikyu? The song came from there? My mother used to sing that song to mebut that's all I can seem to remember about her. She was killed when I was very young. I don't even remember what she looks like anymore," he said quietly, staring at the floor. His head snapped up. "That must mean that I am half Chikyu-jin!"

Kaikatsu smiled and stood to pick through the baby things that sat on the couch. "It's only a suggestion, a piece of information that I happened to have. I'm not saying you _are_ half Human, but it's very possible."

Kyle stood quickly. He reached out a hand and laid it gently upon her arm. "_Arigato_." With that, he turned and left, the door automatically swooshing shut behind him.

_  
  
  
  
_  
**********  
  
Japanese — English Translation  
  


-sama — Mr. Mrs. or Ms. (formal)  
ne — Say.; eh?; huh?  
Arigato — Thank you.


	4. Chapter 4: Mistakes

Thanks for reviewing, Batty! This chapter's for you! *hugs*  
  
  
  


Saiya-jin Voyage  
Spencers13 2002-2003  
PG-13 – Action/Adventure – Sci-Fi – Drama  
  
All characters, ship & place names © Spencers13 except  
Vegeta, Goku, Gohan, Goten, Chichi, Bulma, Mr. & Mrs. Briefs, Freeza & any DBZ concepts and place names © Akira Toriyama  
Beetlejuice © Geffen Film Co. 

Chapter Four - Mistakes  
  


Days turned into weeks and weeks to months. Three months slipped by with relatively no excitement, everyone droning about their separate duties. Endri and Kyle fell back into their normal routine only a few hours after they first lifted off Earth, but Kaikatsu was having just a bit of difficulty adjusting. She hadn't planned on being on the ship for more than a few weeks, and the long days and fitful nights were doing nothing to help her waning sanity.

It was becoming stuffy in that room.

Often, Kyle would drop by, or she would see him in one of the many corridors on the Rishelieu. Every time he saw her, he would get her to tell him another little something about Earth and its people; he was insanely curious. With each new little bit he was told, a small piece of a memory would be sparked and surface. After a few weeks, he was almost certain that his mother was Human, and he, half Human. His excitement was almost contagious, and every time she saw him, she would smile, his grinning face being the only thing to brighten her long days.

Captain Endri still seemed a mystery to her. She saw him rarely and spoke to him even less. The man just didn't seem to have much to say. Kaikatsu didn't mind, though. She was used to the solitude.

One day, however, things began to change.

Endri and Kyle were on the bridge of the ship. The captain was going over some technical specs on his ship's schematics while the commander's torso disappeared under the console off to the right. The man laid on his back, his tail swaying contentedly between his legs, the tip batting at the floor playfully. Sounds of metal clinking and an occasional electronic beep floated out through the small opening Kyle laid in. He was repairing one of the systems that happened to short out earlier that morning.

It was a common occurrence for random systems to shut down or fizzle out. The huge ship _was_ only maintained by two men, and the cruiser constantly kept them on their toes.

"_Kyle?_" Kaikatsu's small voice sounded in the bridge suddenly, the intership communications system making her voice almost boom in the quiet area.

The man in question jumped, startled, and cracked his forehead against something inside the console. His tail bristled and stiffened, then beat agitatedly on the floor as he flung a few curses out through the opening half his body stuck from.

"_AHH! Sssskuso!_" he growled, hissing through his teeth, his voice echoing a bit.

"_Kyle? Was that you?_" she asked, unable to see, only hear.

Endri chuckled at the show and sat back in his chair. "Kyle is unable to answer, woman. What did you need?"

"_Oh There's something wrong with the floors._"

He frowned. "The floors?"

"_Hai. They're shaking and vibrating._"

Kyle's muffled voice floated to his captain's ears from inside the console. "_Shimatta_! The engines are acting up again, I bet!"

Endri sighed. "I'll send Kyle down shortly."

"_Please don't take too long. The shaking is upsetting Tano-chan._"

The connection was cut from its source, and again the bridge was bathed in silence save the hum of equipment.

Kyle slid from under the console and sat up revealing his dirty face, chest, and arms. "I should go and check them now. We shouldn't ignore the engines for too long."

"Mmm," Endri mused. "_Iie_. Stay up here. That needs repairing or we could drift off course. I'll go down and check the problem. You've done more than enough lately anyway. I feel like I'm exploiting your technical talents and becoming lazy."

Kyle chuckled, wiping his hands off on a dirty rag. "_Arigato_, Captain. This shouldn't take much longer."

Endri nodded and stood, making his way to the lift doors.

A knock came once on Kaikatsu's door before it slid open, revealing the silhouette of the captain in the frame. "Woman?" he called into the darkness of the room.

"_Shhhh!_" came a reply. "He's sleeping." The lights came on, very dim. "C-Captain?" she asked with surprise, obviously not expecting him to ever show up at her door. "Where is Kyle?"

"He's busy with other ship repairs. Where is this vibration you feel?"

Kaikatsu stood from her bed and walked to the center of the living room. "It was over here. But it stopped a few minutes ago. It came and went a few times now."

Endri hummed in thought, trying to remember what was on the deck below that spot that could cause such a disturbance. A minute later, realization struck him, and he cursed quietly so as not to rouse the child.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I know what's wrong. Stay here," he mumbled, turning and leaving without another word. He left the room, leaving a slightly confused Kaikatsu behind.

After a short ride to the lowest deck in the lift, Endri found himself in the engine room, staring at the round ports where power cells resided. He grabbed the handle of one round cell, twisted ninety degrees to the right and yanked, pulling the cell out of the engine core. It's once brilliant, blue glow had diminished to a dull, almost nonexistent, pulsing shimmer.

"_Kuso_," Endri cursed, shoving the spent cylinder into a disposal system.

"Captain?" Kyle's voice sounded behind him. "Did you find out what was wrong?"

"_Hai_," the blonde said, not turning. He reached up to pull out another cell. "The power cells are depleted. The engines have been working overtime trying to pull out the very last bit of energy from them to maintain our speed. Get some new ones from the storage bin over there."

Kyle nodded to Endri's back and opened a panel in the wall next to him. Only two power cells were left inside.

"UmCaptain?"

Endri turned to look and growled his displeasure. "_Che_! It figures. Only two leftthat will just barely get us to Tetrus-_sei_. We'll have to get more then." He sighed with irritation. "Hand one to me," he commanded, extending a hand. A cell was placed in it, and Endri turned to insert it into a now empty slot.

"I must apologize, Captain," Kyle said humbly, handing the last power cell to his captain. "It's my fault. When we stopped at the last trading post, I thought we had enough cells to get back to New Vegeta-_sei_. I didn't barter for more."

Endri only grunted in reply, twisting the last cell into place and watching as the engine's power indicator raised back to a desired level. He turned and brushed past his commander without a word and stood rigidly in the lift as the doors closed, cutting them apart.

Kyle sighed. It was just like his captain to be that way. It was so hard to read him even after so many years of living and working together on the ship. He stayed still for a few minutes before finally resigning and heading for the lift himself.

As soon as Captain Endri was in the confines of the lift and it began to rise, he uncoiled his tail from his waist and reached up toward the ceiling, stretching every muscle and sinew of his body, and yawing widely. His tail stood straight out behind him, bristling with a stretch of its own. He relaxed a bit and twisted his torso from side to side, popping the bones and cartilage in his spine.

He wasn't really mad at Kyle, just mad that they only had two power cells left and would barely make it to their destination, still about three months away. He hated not having everything under his precise control.

As a last minute thought, he stopped the lift on deck three and exited, heading back the corridor to Kaikatsu's room. He knocked once, then opened the sliding door, not even waiting for permission. It was his ship. He didn't need permission to go anywhere within it.

Kaikatsu stood from her bed again when he entered. "I didn't expect you'd come back."

He was quiet for a moment as if not sure of whether he should really be there or not. Finally, he said, "Ihave rarely spoken to you since you came aboard. Are you well?"

She nodded slowly. "As well as I can beconsidering."

"Mmm."

She waved her hand toward the couch. "Come in, please. I'd rather you not lurk in the doorway."

Endri waited for a moment, then gave in, entering the room completely and standing next to the couch.

"Please. Sit down."

He paused a moment again as if debating whether or not to sit, stand, or leave. Finally, giving in again, he stepped around and sank into the plush cushions of the couch, still facing the bed from when Kyle spun it around months ago. Kaikatsu resumed her seat on the bed across from him and crossed her hands in her lap. They sat in an almost—but not quite—awkward silence for a few minutes.

"The shuddering has been fixed," Endri said at length. "The engines were in need of new power cells."

"Oh, okay. That's good."

"Thank you for alerting us to the problem."

"Oh, sure. Anytime."

Silence.

The captain glanced over to the crib not far from the head of the bed. "How is the child?"

Kaikatsu smiled, a sight as rare to her face as it was to Endri's. "He's taking to space travel well, I think. He was a little fussy for the first day or so, but now he's fine."

He nodded. "The boy has Saiya blood. He is strong."

"Yeah," she said, standing to look into the crib at her baby.

Endri joined her, staring down at the child sleeping soundly, suckling on the tip of his tiny tail. "He will be a strong warrior. With the blood of the prince in him, I see him easily surpassing his peers as well as elders."

"He's already a little too strong for _me._ I can't breast feed him anymore. He sucks too hard, and it's painful."

The captain chuckled. "He is truly Saiya-jin."

She turned and glared, but couldn't hold it for long, letting her smile come back. "Will it be hard to raise him? It's already becoming difficult, and he's only seven months old. Are all Saiya-jin babies like that?"

Endri kept his eyes to the child, almost fascinated with the little thing. "Saiya-jin children, normally, are quite the difficult little hellions to raise. But for a while, things were changed in the way we raised our young. In the past, during that time when things changed, they were taken from their mother's womb before birth and raised in incubators until it was time for them to be born. While in them, they were 'programmed' with information: feelings, emotions, thoughtscultivating them into what would become a strong and fierce warrior. A practically emotionless being that would follow orders to the death, fiercely loyal, and insanely stoic. Perfect warriorsperfect _slaves._

"Saiya-jin children never used to be put through such treatment. Only after Freeza came along did they begin that process. The lizard told our king that it would make the race stronger, filtering out imperfections, and producing a master race. When in reality, it was softening us up and making us easily molded to his foul will. He used us to conquer planets, destroying all life on them and purging them for sale to other races that needed to expand their territory. The children with lower power levels were placed into pods and sent off to planets with weak inhabitants. They would transform into their oozaru state under the light of a full moon and destroy everything. So by the time it came to sell the planet, it would already be purged."

"Oozaru?"

"A beast. It would loosely resemble an ape from your planet, only the size is immense, and its power nearly unstoppable."

"C-Can you change into one?"

Endri smirked. "_Hai_. But it would require the light of a full moon and my tail. Without one or the other, I cannot."

"You mean you can lose your tail? Can it fall off if you're not careful or something?" she asked, bending around to look at the man's twitching brown tail.

"Only if removed by force. It can be cut off. Tails are many things to a Saiya-jin. A source of strength. A source of scent. A way of communicating. Without them, we are crippled in may ways. Our minds don't function as they should. We are denied oozaru, and without oozaru, all that is primal in us sleeps."

Kaikatsu studied the appendage, amazed. After a moment, she took notice to something and giggled, pointing at his tail. "You have fuzzies from the couch stuck in your fur. Let me."

She reached down and grasped Endri's tail halfway and ran her hand down the rest of its long length brushing the white fuzz balls from the fur. The captain froze and stood rigid, gripping the railing of the crib so tight it cracked and splintered beneath his fingers. He growled aloud, his knees becoming wobbly and stars bursting in his eyes.

Endri never mentioned the tail's sensitivity to painor pleasure.

Kaikatsu gasped and released the trembling appendage. "Oh, I'm sorry! Did I hurt you? I didn't mean—"

"No! No, I'm f-fine. Imust leave now. Excuse me," he grumbled, turning and briskly strolling to the door. He left without another word, leaving a confused woman alone again.

Endri stormed to the lift and stood inside. "Bridge!" he barked. The lift jiggled and rose, not nearly fast enough for him. He paced the small space agitatedly, his tail twitching and smacking at the floor with anger.

That stupid woman! She had touched his tail! Didn't she know how sensitive it was?! He stopped and leaned against the wall, growling. His frustration strained against his pants, and he felt like killing something. Yes, that would be _great!_ Kill something! Damn that woman! Just his luck she happened to be beautiful as well. A beautiful woman that stroked his tail He shuddered with unbidden desire. But she had been mated to Vegeta. The _prince_ of all Saiya-jin! How could he possibly compare to the _prince?!_ She was still in love with him too. Damn! _DAMN!!_

"_KYLE!!_" he shouted as soon as the doors opened.

The younger man jumped, startled, and whirled around at his station. "C-Captain?"

"Training room! _NOW!!_"

"_H-Hai_!" he said, jumping up and joining Endri in the lift.

"Deck two!" the captain growled, locking a deadly eye to his commander.

Kyle gulped. He was in for it now. Why was Endri so pissed? It wasn't _his_ fault, was it?

The doors opened and the blonde practically shoved his second out and toward the training room. As soon as they entered, Endri stuck an attacking pose, ready to get right into it.

"Sh-Shouldn't we stretch first, Captain?"

"Shut up and fight me!"

Kyle gulped again. He was _really_ in for it. He fell into a defensive pose, and as soon as the stance was completed, Endri shot forward, pounding his fist into the man's face. He flew backward and cracked into the wall, sliding down to rest on his backside.

"You call that a defense?! Get up and fight me, brat!" the captain sneered.

Kyle growled, not exactly liking being called such a derogatory word. He was _not_ a child! And he would _prove_ it! He wouldn't be beaten around just because a bug crawled up the captain's ass! With that thought, he roared, leaping up and blasting forward. His fist just barely grazed Endri's cheek, and the man smirked evilly at him.

"Better. But still not good enough!" he howled, slamming a fist into Kyle's gut.

He doubled over with the force and fell to his knees, coughing and gasping. Endri wasted no time, driving his booted foot into Kyle's side and sending him flying again. The man rebounded as soon as he landed on the floor, dashing back to throw a rapid barrage of punches and kicks. The captain easily dodged them all, only needing to block occasionally.

"I said fight me, Commander! You call this fighting?! I get a better workout _shadowboxing!_"

Snarling, Kyle landed a fist into Endri's cheek sending the half Saiya-jin reeling to the side. He managed to not fall and raised a hand to wipe a small trickle of blood from his lip.

"That's better. But I'm not going to be so easy anymore!"

He fazed out and reappeared behind his second in the same instant, slamming a boot into his back. The fight—if that's what it could be called—raged on from there. Kyle barely got a chance to even throw a punch as he was assaulted over and over again mercilessly. Endri beat him into the deck plates. If not throwing punches or kicks, it was _ki_ blasts. The young half Saiya-jin was bounced around the room like a ball, taking every hit his captain delivered and sucking it up, never once showing his pain.

He was _not_ weak! He was _not!_

Kyle stood one final time on wobbly legs. His ragged breath tore at this throat and burned the open cuts on his bleeding lips. One arm was broken and hung useless at his side. Blood poured from hundreds of cuts, scrapes, and burns all over his body. His right eye was swollen shut, a large gash running from his forehead over it to stop mid-cheek. He stumbled forward a step, then fell to his knees, unable to stay on two feet. From there, he collapsed, face first.

"Get up, you weakling! Fight me like a Saiya-jin!" Endri shouted, seeing nothing but angry red.

Kyle did his best to pick himself up, trying so hard to follow his captain's orders, but he was too far gone. He slumped back to the floor, coughing up a little blood.

"Get up, Kyle!" Endri yelled again, still in his fighting pose, ready for anything.

That time, the commander laid still.

"Kyle!"

Silence.

"Kyle?" Endri stepped over, relaxing his tense state and slipping into more of a concerned one. He wasn't _that_ rough on him, was he? "Commander, get up," he grumbled quieter, standing next to the man's prone form.

Kyle's hand twitched at his side, but that's as far as he was able to move on his own.

The half Saiya-jin leaned down and rested his two forefingers to the man's neck. The responding pulse was weak and irregular. "K-Kyle?" He reached down and grabbed Kyle by the shoulders and rolled him over. Blood dribbled freely from his mouth, and he gurgled a cough from the motion. "_What have I done to you?_" Endri whispered.

The younger man just looked on him with sadness. His lips twitched, trying to speak, but words were hard to come by.

"No, _shhh_ don't speak! I-I'll get the regeneration tank ready, just hold on!" He went to stand up, but a shaking hand grasped his wrist.

"_C-Cap—tainwhat did I-I do?_" Kyle mumbled, more blood coming up to coat his tongue and lips. "_Waswas it the p-power cells? I'm s-sorry for notgetting more. P-Pleasefor—give me._"

Endri cradled his commander's head to his chest, his face contorting into a devastated grimace. "No. No, it wasn't your fault at all. This is all _my_ fault! I'm so sorry, Kyle. You must forgive _me._"

A rumbling chuckle answered him from his chest, and he pulled away to look into Kyle's half-closed blue eye. "_Y-Youdon' hate me? Are we—Are wef-friends then?_"

Endri smirked weakly. "Kyle y-you know I can't stand anyone else but you to be around me for any length of time."

Kyle's visage brightened. That was the friendliest his captain had ever really been since they first met. Whata nice thing to hearjust before dying. He slumped against Endri, a smile still on his bloody lips.

"_Kuso_!" the captain cursed, carefully laying his friend back to the deck plates and dashing over to a keypad embedded near the center of the rightmost wall. One button was pressed and a huge section of the ceiling, wall, and floor pulled back then slid open like the rest of the sliding doors on the ship, revealing a dark contraption inside. After the doors were all the way open, the machine extended outward, a huge tube-like glass container detaching from its base and top and rotating ninety degrees to the right, laying level. A hiss was followed by a clack, and a door in the glass tube opened, swinging up and back. Endri rushed over and carefully stripped Kyle of all clothing then lifted him into his arms, toting him back to the regeneration tank. He laid the white-haired man inside the glass and attached several electrodes in various places along his chest and back. Finally, a breathing apparatus was strapped over his mouth and nose.

Endri stepped back and over to the base of the machine where its controls were. He pressed a red, touch-sensitive button, and the glass tank door swung shut, hissing as it sealed. Another button was pressed and light blue liquid began filling the glass chamber. It was thicker than water, but not by much. When the entire tank was filled with the liquid, Endri smacked another button and the machine tilted the tube back into a vertical position, Kyle floating inside. The base of the machine extended up and out, ready to receive the tank back into its clutches. With a hiss and whir, the tube rested back into the base, the top sealed around the glass, and the whole contraption began a soft hum as the filtration process began. Bubbles rose to the top of the liquid inside, surrounding Kyle and slowly dancing with his hair.

Endri stood in silence, his arms crossed and a dark look upon his features. Kyle was _not_ dead. He would live, the captain would make sure of that. But he was angry at himselfhimself and that woman. If she hadn't touched his tail and made him want to throw her onto the bed and take her then and there, he wouldn't have taken out his frustrations on Kyle. But again, that was his fault too. He didn't _have_ to go after his unsuspecting commander and beat him to a pulp just because he needed some sexual gratification. He could have just gone to his cabin and relieved himself, but _no._ He _had_ to beat up Kyle.

Why did Saiya-jin tails have to be _so_ sensitive?! Once grabbed, a male or female was down for the count, but once caressed, they were turned into needy animals! It _would_ wear off after a while, but the pain or desire would be so strong, it would be hard to ignore until it went away. Damn. Being Saiya-jin had its good _and_ bad points. Endri was just glad he wasn't a _full-blooded_ Saiya-jin.

He waited a few moments more, staring at his commander as he floated loosely, almost suspended in time, before reaching up and depressing one last button. The bubbling regeneration tank groaned in protest under the heavy weight of the liquid inside the glass, but obeyed its commands anyway. It slid back into the dark walls of the training room, only a blue light emanating from below the liquid lighting up its unconscious occupant. The wall, floor, and ceiling also slid back into place, sealing off any contact with the tank.

It would take a few days for Kyle to heal in the regeneration tank rather than the months it would take out of it. He would be safe in there for now. Endri spun on his heel and made his way back down to his personal cabin for a nice, long shower. He would have to think of a way to make everything up to his commander after he was healed. 

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Japanese — English Translation  
  


Shimatta — Damn it! or Shit!  
iie — no  
Che — Shucks! or Damn!


	5. Chapter 5: Pirates!

Thank you again for reviewing, Batty! At least I know ONE person out there is reading this besides me! Haha! I guess I don't really mind, though. This WAS just a "fun for me" project. Hmmm...I guess I was just hoping others would like it too. Eh well. -_-;  
  
You're the best, Batty (Wanda)! *hugs*  
  
  
  


Saiya-jin Voyage  
Spencers13 2002-2003  
PG-13 – Action/Adventure – Sci-Fi – Drama  
  
All characters, ship & place names © Spencers13 except  
Vegeta, Goku, Gohan, Goten, Chichi, Bulma, Mr. & Mrs. Briefs, Freeza & any DBZ concepts and place names © Akira Toriyama  
Beetlejuice © Geffen Film Co. 

Chapter Five - Pirates!  
  


"Where's Kyle?" Kaikatsu asked, setting down at the metal dinner table, Tanoshiiko in her arms. "I haven't seen him for a few days now."

Yes, two days had passed so far with Kyle still healing in the regeneration tank. It would be another twelve to twenty-four hours before he would emerge, good as new.

"Heeee" Endri drug out, thinking quickly to give her an answer without letting her know what really happened. "He'sresting. I gave him a few days off to get some rest. He's been working very hard on the ship's systems lately, and I thought he could use a break. He's been in his cabin." He effectively stopped the conversation there by grabbing the closest piece of food and shoving it into his mouth.

Kaikatsu sighed. She knew that once Saiya-jin started eating, the only conversation she'd get from them would be snarfs and gobbles on their part. She took the hint and began her own meal. Her baby cooed and she reached down to adjust the bottle in his mouth. The little tyke was already strong enough to hold the bottle on his own, and he was only seven months old.

The meal carried on with Endri shoving spoonful after spoonful of rice and soup. Handfuls of bread, _keiniku_, and anything else able to be eaten with his fingers ended up in his mouth as well, one huge bite at a time. Saiya-jin were voracious eaters. They needed vast amounts of food to keep their bodies functioning with their large power levels. That kind of energy didn't come from just anywhere. Food and sleep replenished their bodies just like normal Humans, only Saiya-jin needed large amounts of both to compensate for their power and strength.

"Have you ever choked eating like that?"

Endri slowed only long enough to mumble, "Mm-mm."

A rumble shook the entire ship, sending some plates of food sliding to the floor.

"Wh-What was that?!" Kaikatsu half screamed, trying to mind her baby.

Endri swallowed the food in his mouth before yelling, "It felt like something hit us!" He jumped from his seat at the head of the table and rushed to a screen on the wall behind him. "Viewer on!" he shouted. The screen flickered to life. "Show ship's status." A wire-frame top view of the Rishelieu popped onto the screen with a blinking red section about midway down on the port side. "Damn! We _were_ hit! Computer, what caused thi–"

The ship lurched to the side, almost knocking the captain to the floor if he hadn't been holding onto the sides of the view screen.

"_Warning! Mobile Station Cruiser Rishelieu is under attack. Warning! Mobile Station Cruiser Rishelieu is under attack,_" the pleasant female voice of the computer said over the ship-wide communications system.

"_What?!_" Endri shouted. Without another word, he dashed from the room, but came back in a second later. "You stay here! Don't leave this room no matter what you hear!" He didn't even wait for Kaikatsu to acknowledge, running back out and toward the lift. The ship rocked again and he was thrown against the lift walls, leaving a slight dent. "_Ssss! Shimatta_!" he cursed, running to his command chair and console on the bridge as soon as the doors opened. His fingers danced along the keypads and buttons, bringing up view after view of areas outside the ship, raising defensive shields, and powering up weapons systems.

"No one attacks _my_ ship!" he growled to himself.

One of the views outside showed three small ships, blasting away at the outer hull near the cargo bays.

"Pirates!" The word was a curse in itself.

It was then that Endri wished he could control his anger a lot better. This would be much harder without Kyle there to help him.

Without wasting anymore time, he took aim with some plasma guns mounted on the outer hull and fired in a rapid barrage. He clipped two of the ships, disabling their engines. They drifted off course, sitting ducks.

Endri chuckled to himself. "_Hnhn__shine_."

A few more well-placed shots, and both ships exploded, sending a rumble through the Rishelieu from their close proximity. When the fiery light dissipated, the third ship was missing.

"Oh, were, oh, where did that little ship go?" the captain chuckled in a sing-song voice, pressing more buttons that changed the views on the main screen before him, trying to find that missing pirate ship.

A loud clang reached his sensitive ears and the ship shuddered slightly.

"Why, you dirty–!"

"_Warning! Hull integrity at twenty-three percent. Breech imminent_," his computer said, her British accent crisp and clear in the bridge. Endri had always liked that particular accent after hearing it once before. So he reprogrammed the computer's voice with it. It was usually calming to listen to, but now he was anything but calm.

"Those bastards are drilling into my ship!" he shouted for no one's ears but his own. Where was Kyle when he needed him?! Oh, rightstuck in a regeneration tank. Swell.

"_Warning! Hull breech! Deck two, section five, cargo bay. Warning–!_"

"I get it!" Endri yelled, cutting the computer off and leaping from his chair to head back to the lift. He arrived at Cargo Bay 5 shortly thereafter and stood outside the doors, huffing in anger. "Seal off Cargo Bay 5 from the rest of the ship," he ordered the computer.

Large steel doors extended from the ceiling on the right and left sides of the bay doors, sliding down to seal against the floor. If Endri had opened the doors, the entire deck would become depressurized and the oxygen would be blown into space through the breech in the hull inside the bay. He couldn't do that to Kaikatsu and her baby down the hall. It wouldn't have harmed Kyle in his tank, but the sudden change of pressure could crack the glass, and the tank might explode. The captain couldn't risk it.

"Open bay doors," he ordered.

The cargo bay doors opened, blowing the little air left in the small enclosed space outside and trying to draw Endri forward with the force. He stood still, however, using his vast power to root himself to the spot. Inside he saw what he didn't really want to. Men in compact, black space suits, their arms full with boxes, barrels, and bins of cargo, coming in and leaving through a large hole drilled into the ceiling of the bay. Their ship was rooted to the outer hull right above the hole.

Unable to speak in the vacuum of space, Endri simply snarled his lips and bore his teeth before dashing toward the surprised pirates. He crashed his fist into one of their faces and ripped his breathing apparatus away. Leaving that one to suffocate, he pushed off the deck and flew upward to another shocked pirate.

"_He's got no suit!_" the guy screamed into his intercom to the others before his mouthpiece was pulled away as well, leaving him to starve for air.

"_This guy's unreal!_" another shouted, trying to dart through the hole and back into his ship outside. A _ki_ blast tore through his chest, leaving a gaping hole and a lifeless body to float aimlessly.

One by one, all the men took their turns, Endri zipping by to destroy their oxygen tanks, rip away their mouthpieces, or send hot _ki_ balls into their bodies. When the final pirate took his last breath, the captain flew about the room, gathering the bodies and shoving them out through the hole in the hull and back into their ship. He poked his head out through the hole and reached his hand out, sending a small blast to each of the docking clamps and blowing them to pieces, releasing the small ship's hold from the Rishelieu. When it had floated far enough away, Endri sent out another blast, this one big enough to destroy the little bastard ship and anyone else left aboard.

Grinning with self-satisfaction, he ducked back inside and to a drawer along one of the walls in the cargo bay. He pulled out a small round disk with a single button in the center on one side. With a small push, he floated back up to the hole in the ship, placing the small disk in the center and pressing the button. From all sides of the disk shot a static field that connected with the sides of the hole and suspended the device in the center. With that temporary force field in place, it was safe to re-pressurize the bay long enough to move all the cargo into another storage bay. Endri just hoped it would last long enough to get to Tetrus-_sei_ where he could exact repairs.

He floated back down and depressed a sequence of three buttons on a panel alongside the open bay doors. A warning alarm went off with the company of flashing yellow lights.

"_Bay re-pressurizing_," the computer said.

Air hissed back into the room, and gravity was restored. 

"_Ahh_ much better," Endri sighed, taking a deep lung-full of air. He hated to not breathe for any length of time. It just wasn't comfortable. He stepped outside the bay and ordered the sealing doors to retreat, only then remembering Kaikatsu and her baby back in the lunchroom. Jogging, he made his way back there and entered.

Kaikatsu was huddled in the corner, her baby crying in her arms. Blood trickled down along her temple from inside her hairline.

"Woman!" Endri gasped, rushing to her side to inspect her injuries. "What happened?"

"Thethe ship," she mumbled, a little disoriented, "it shook. I fellhit my head. Is Tano-_chan_ all right?"

The captain quickly inspected the baby. "The child is fine, but you need medical attention. Come with me," he said, grasping her shoulders and lifting her to her feet.

"_Warning!_" the computer said again.

Endri growled. "Now what?!"

"_Unknown vessel on intercept course._"

Sighing, he lead Kaikatsu back to her chair at the table and set her in it. "Wait here." He went back to the screen in the wall and ordered, "Show me."

On the screen, a ship much larger than the three that just attacked was seen heading in his direction. It was another pirate ship, this one more sophisticated. It must have been the one to send out the little ones. It was coming to inspect what had happened to its little minions.

"Estimated time until they are in weapons range?" Endri asked.

"_One hour, six minutes, and thirty-three seconds_," the computer responded precisely.

"One hour," he mumbled, stepping back over to help pick Kaikatsu up and lead her to the door. "That should be plenty of time. Come, woman, we need to tend to you. Med Bay is down the corridor."

Captain Endri lifted Kaikatsu up and sat her on an examination table inside the medical bay. He took her child from her arms and gently laid him inside a clear, plastic bin used for newborn babies. She began to protest, but the captain raised a hand.

"He'll be fine in there for now. I need to tend to you unobstructed."

She resigned to sit quietly while Endri poked around her hair looking for the place of impact. He reached into a small drawer next to the table and pulled out what looked like a pen with a light on the end. It was segmented in three different places along the shaft, and each segment could be rotated. He spun the first two pieces a quarter turn each, but left the third alone. The light on the end flickered to life and Endri reached up and passed it over Kaikatsu's wound, barely an inch from the skin.

It healed instantly. No scar. No damage at all.

She reached up and ran her hand over the spot that just seconds ago had been bleeding and throbbing. "I've never seen that technology before. Is it Saiya-jin?"

Endri closed the contraption's segments again and tossed it back into the drawer before shutting it. "No."

"What is it?"

He placed a hand on either side of her on the table and leaned forward, bringing his face within a foot of hers. "It is a technology that does not existjust like its creators."

Kaikatsu frowned. "What does that–"

The Med Bay doors opened and Kyle stepped in wearing only a pair of tight, black training shorts. His appearance seemed a little pale and damp, as if he had just come from a cold shower. His skin was again perfect, without a scratch or blemish on him. He leaned heavily against the doorframe with one arm and seemed a little out of breath.

"Re-Reporting for duty, Captain."

Endri stepped forward a pace. "Kyle? I thought you wouldn't be out until at least tomorrow."

He smirked. "You've been causing a ruckus. All the explosions woke me up. I couldn't wait until tomorrow to get out, and I thought you could use my help. What's been going on?"

The captain nodded, knowing he couldn't make his commander go back into the tank. He _could_ use his help. "We were attacked. Pirates drilled into the ship and tried to steal some of our cargo. I got rid of them, but their main ship is on an intercept course with us. They will reach us in about forty-five minutes."

Kyle nodded in understanding. "Then I'll be on the bridge, readying the weapons."

"No. You will be in the lunchroom eating your fill for at least twenty minutes. You need to regain your strength quickly. You're too weak as you are now; your responses will be sluggish. I won't give those damn pirates that advantage."

"Aye, Captain," Kyle laughed, turning and heading back out.

"Kyle."

He turned, glancing back.

"Nice to see you about again."

A smile, brief nod, and Kyle disappeared down the corridor to the lunchroom.

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Japanese — English Translation  
  


Shine — Die! (implied command)


	6. Chapter 6: Goodbye

Once again, thank you Wanda (and Batty) for reviewing! Glad you like this! *hugs*  
  
This next chapter is kinda sad/heartwrenching. You feel really bad for Kyle in this one. :( BUT, lots of action! Whoohoo! ^_~  
  
  
  


Saiya-jin Voyage  
Spencers13 2002-2003  
PG-13 – Action/Adventure – Sci-Fi – Drama  
  
All characters, ship & place names © Spencers13 except  
Vegeta, Goku, Gohan, Goten, Chichi, Bulma, Mr. & Mrs. Briefs, Freeza & any DBZ concepts and place names © Akira Toriyama  
Beetlejuice © Geffen Film Co. 

Chapter Six - Goodbye  
  


_How could this have happened? Where did everything go wrong? The captaingone. It was so fast. No one saw it coming. Kyle and Iwe could only stare at the view screen in disbelief. I remember screamingmy baby crying_

_Gonejust like Vegeta._

_He was such a nice man. He swore on his honor he would protect me and Tano-chan. Well, he did. With his life._

_But Kyle refuses to believe his captain is dead. Refuses so utterly, that he kept his bodyput it inside something he called a 'tank'. Now the handsome captain just floats there; his once perfect body mangled and shredded._

_Where did things go so wrong? I play everything over and over again in my mind, but still, I can't pinpoint a single action that caused this catastrophe. It was a combination of everything that happened; one thing after another in a chain reaction that lead to the captain's death._

"View screen on," Endri commanded the computer.

The main screen of the bridge flickered on, revealing the approaching pirate ship, just now slowing and coming to a halt off the starboard side of the Rishelieu. The minutes ticked by, but neither ship made the effort to begin a battle. They just sat next to each other. Waiting.

"Captain," Kyle said in a hushed tone, "I suggest we try to communicate. Maybe we can avoid a fight?"

"Mmm" Endri grumbled, hating the idea of actually speaking in any way to a pirate. _But_. If it could save them from a costly battle "Open a channel to their ship." He turned to look behind him. "And you," he growled, pointing at Kaikatsu in warning, "one peep from you or the child, and you're off the bridge. I won't have any distractions."

"Channel open, Sir," Kyle cut in.

Endri whirled back around, slapping on his most pleasant face, and reclining in his chair to look somewhat comfortable. "_Kon'nichi wa_!" he greeted cheerfully, albeit very fake. "_O genki desu ka_?"

"Cut the shit," a voice responded before it's owner flashed onto the view screen, his robust face taking up a great portion of it.

He was older-looking with wrinkles creasing his chubby cheeks and greying hair on the sides of his head. His skin was flush peach, almost a pale red, and he wore the suit of a captain of pirates. Snaps, buckles, zippers, and black leather made up the majority of it. It almost looked grotesque on his bulky person. Would anyone else have been sporting the same outfit, they would have been considered sexy.

"What happened to my ships?"

Endri frowned. Just like a pirate to be so forward and rude. "To what are you referring, Sir?"

"My ships! I received a distress call from one saying that _two_ were destroyed! Now I don't seem to be receiving signals from all three. And what's this I see?" he leaned to the side to apparently look at a screen, "I do believe I'm scanning some debris floating around your ship. Whatever could _that_ mean?"

The blonde captain sneered. "Perhaps that means that _my_ ship was attacked by _your_ ships, and I was forced to take action against them? Call it: Self-defense."

The pirate captain growled, slamming a fist to the console in front of him and stood from his seat. "They were my best scout ships, manned by my best men! How dare you, you prissy little–!"

"Watch you tongue, Pirate!" Endri shouted, standing as well. "Your 'best ships' and 'best men' were trying to relieve me of my hard-earned cargo! Your bastards drilled right into–"

The pirate captain wasn't paying attention to Endri's angry rant. His eyes were glued to the man's waist, around which a long, brown, furry tail was twined. "You_Saiya-jin bastard!_" he screamed. "You don't look like one, but I'd know that furry devil's tail anywhere! You're a bastard child of that treacherous race of monkeys that purged my planet! Saiya-jin filth! I vowed I would see all of you dirty monkeys destroyed for obliterating my family, my planet, my entire _RACE!!_" He whirled around barking orders to his men to fire all weapons. "_Show no mercy!_ Just like they never showed _us_ mercy, boys!" He turned back to the screen, a feral grin on his chunky lips upon seeing the shocked and angry faces of the three adults aboard the other ship. "Let's see how you Saiya-jin bastards like a taste of your own medicine!"

The communication was terminated followed seconds later by the ship lurching under the firepower of the pirates.

Endri cursed, pounding his fists to the console. "That dirty pig! Return fire! Throw whatever we have at them! _NOW!!_" he screamed at Kyle who was already pressing the appropriate buttons.

The ship quaked again, and Kaikatsu fell from her chair near the lift doors, curling her arms in and rolling to the side so as not to land on her baby. A startled scream erupted from her throat on impact.

Endri turned at the sound. When he saw her huddled on the floor, he jumped up from his chair to try and run back to help her, but another explosion shook the ship, and he tumbled forward as well, landing beside her. He rolled to his back and looked up at his commander, still frantically aiming and firing the weapons from his console.

"Computer! Ship status!" Endri yelled, rolling to the side and up to his knees, wrapping strong arms around Kaikatsu and helping her to sit up.

"_Shield strength at forty-two percent and falling. Hull integrity at seventy-six percent and falling. Plasma canons one, three, and four are depleted. Plasma cannons two, five, and six through ten are low on energy. Shield strength at thirty-six percent and falling. Hull integrity at–_"

"Dammit!" Endri shouted, cutting the British, female voice off.

"Captain!" Kyle yelled over his shoulder. "We're just not causing enough damage to them! Their shields are too strong; they're absorbing most of our firepower! We're not gonna make it!"

Standing, Endri drug Kaikatsu back to his chair next to Kyle's and forced her into it.

She still clung to her baby that surprisingly seemed to be enjoying all the loud noises and shaking.

"The hell we won't! Battle has become too dependent on technology! We are forgetting how to _truly_ do battle! Kyle," he said, laying a hand to the man's arm, "I charge you with the protection of this ship, the woman, and her child until I return. You will do everything in your power to keep everyone alive and my ship intact."

"Why? Where are you going?!" Kaikatsu shouted above another explosion.

Kyle clapped a hand over his captain's for a quick moment before returning it back to the console to fire more weapons. "I will do so to the best of my ability, Captain. Count on that!"

Endri nodded and turned to leave the bridge.

"Where are you going?!" Kaikatsu yelled again.

The captain stopped and turned, a grin exposing his sharp canines. "I'm going to pay them a visit," was all he said before vacating the bridge.

"A _visit?!_" she screeched. "We're being destroyed, and he's just gonna _walk_ over and say hello?!"

Kyle chuckled, still dancing his fingers upon the keypads. "Just keep your ass in that seat and watch the screen. You'll see."

And a few minutes later, Kaikatsu _did_ see.

Endri floated freely in space, heading toward the pirate ship with a light tail of blue energy streaking behind him.

"H-How?"

Kyle laughed again. "Just watch."

When the captain reached the hull of the other ship, he punched his fist straight in and ripped a hole large enough for him to fit through, then disappeared inside.

"Press that yellow button over there," Kyle ordered, his eyes concentrated to what he was doing.

Kaikatsu scanned the console before her, seeing several yellow buttons. "Which one?"

"The middle one."

How could there be a middle of four buttons? Shrugging, she depressed the third button from the left and hoped it was the right one. The screen above changed, showing an interior shot of the other ship. Men were rushing about in almost panic through a corridor.

"Now press the one next to it," Kyle ordered again.

She did so, pressing the last yellow button in the line of four. The screen changed again, splitting into about fifteen different views of the other ship. Apparently, they were tapped into the pirate's own internal video system and watching what was going on on their end.

Endri's form dashed past one of the screens, and his back retreated on another. Several men rushed out from a side corridor and blocked his way, but weren't blocking for long. A well-placed _ki_ blast to each of their chest's, and they were only and obstruction to step over.

Kaikatsu gasped, a hand flying to her mouth. "I-I didn't know he could be like that! He just killed those men in cold blood!"

"He is doing what he must to save us and his ship. Normally, he's very passive, but you should see him when he's _really_ pissed! It's a sight you won't soon forget, I guarantee!"

"You mean he's not even angry?!"

Kyle laughed. "Oh, he's mad, but he's having more fun than anything."

"_Fun?!_"

"We normally don't get so much excitement in one day."

Kaikatsu was almost in tears. "_I wanna go home,_" she whispered in a small voice.

Kyle didn't hear as he was cheering his captain on between firing the plasma canons at the other ship's weapons.

The pirate captain chuckled in satisfaction. "That's right, you dirty Saiya-jin bastards! How does the face of extinction look _now?!_ Not pretty is it?! Rot in hell with the rest of your filthy race!!"

"Sir!" one of his men shouted, spinning in his chair at a console, "We have an intruder!"

"A what?!"

The door to the bridge bubbled outward and exploded in a fiery flash of yellow light and clouds of smoke. Endri stepped inside, his fingers wrapped around the belt of some dead man and toting the carcass like baggage at his side. He threw the guy to the floor beside him and crossed his arms, smirking up at the fat pirate captain.

"We meet in person, pirate dog!"

The man was practically frothing in rage. "_ARRRGH! KILL HIM!!_" he screamed.

The rest of the pirates on the bridge pulled out weapons or dove forward to physically attack Endri. All were quickly taken care of. He was having fun, but wasn't in the mood to play anymore today.

The pirate captain dropped to his knees and clutched onto one of the nearby dead men, sorrow lining his facial features. "_Verdan_" He looked up into the swirling green eyes of his enemy.

Endri wore his old smirk, his arms crossed again and looking very smug. "Give up this battle, Pirate! You cannot possibly defeat me!"

With almost all of his men killed, the pirate _was_ at a great disadvantage. He didn't possess the physical strength of a Saiya-jin, nor their amazing energy level or control. Endri could kill him with the flick of his wrist.

But he wouldn't go down so easilynot _this_ pirate!

"You monkey trash! Saiya-jin bastard!" he taunted, standing from his fallen comrade, "I will _never_ surrender! Not to the likes of you! I would rather join you in hell first! Which I think I just might do." He sidestepped to the console next to him and quickly pressed a series of commands into the computer. Immediately, flashing red lights and an alarm went off, blaring into Endri's sensitive ears.

"You hear that? That's the self-destruct warning! This ship will blow in exactly thirty seconds!"

The half Saiya-jin growled. "You fool! You will die as well!"

"I'd rather die here and now, knowing I blew away one of the last of you pieces of trash than die at your hand!"

Endri dashed forward, driving his fist clean through the pirate's gut to jut out through his back, blood dripping from his closed fingers. "You will die at my hand either way," he growled, his face inches from the man's shocked features. He pulled back, removing his hand and most of his arm from the pirate's body. The man slumped forward, dead before he ever hit the floor.

"_Self-destruct engaged_," the masculine voice of the pirate's computer rang out, drawing Endri's attention.

He could already hear the ship exploding from the back toward the front. He estimated he had about five seconds before it reached him in the bridge.

He had no time to get out.

Whirling, he stared into the view screen before him, knowing Kyle had to be watching.

"Kyle! I'm counting on you! Don't let your captain down!" he shouted before an explosion behind him pulled him away from the screen.

He turned just as a piece of the wall blasted away in flames. It rocketed forward, spinning from side to side until it found a resting place inside Endri's chest. The huge sheet of metal embedded straight through from top to bottom, starting at his collarbone and ending just below his bellybutton. The sharp tip protruded out his back, dripping with deep red blood.

From the force of the impact, Endri was sent crashing into the view screen–

Static was all that was left on the screens of the MSC Rishelieu. Two people were left to sit in silence, only the hum of equipment and the hiss from the static filling their ears.

Kaikatsu's hand still covered her mouth, but for a different reason now. She was trying to hold back her screamswithout much success.

Kyle, however, had even less control than she did. "_NOOO!! Captain!!_ It–It isn't possible! He _can't_ be gone! _It's–not–possible!_" he shouted, pounding a fist on his console to punctuate each word. He gasped, trying to catch his ragged breath before shouting, "Computer! Scan the debris! I want Captain Endri _found!_"

"_Scanning_" the computer replied calmly as if it was all just routine.

Kyle changed the view of the screen again, showing the adrift remnants of the pirate ship. He leaned close, visually searching for Endri. "_Impossibleimpossible_," he kept repeating over and over as if trying to convince himself of the meaning of the word and its validity.

Kaikatsu had calmed enough to lay a shaking hand to Kyle's forearm.

He jerked and looked over almost surprised to see her still there.

"Kylehow could he havesurvived that?"

He growled at her, making her retract her hand and cradle her fussing baby close. "I _must_ find him! He's counting on me to find him! You heard what he said; I can't let him down! He's out there somewhere, and I will bring him back to his ship!" he shouted, voice cracking. Without another word, he turned and stared at the screen again, looking as best he could.

"Buthe's dead," she whispered, sinking into the captain's plush chair.

"I _KNOW!_" Kyle screamed turning a glaring eye to her. "But I refuse to believe he–"

"_Scan complete_," the computer said, stopping the man's speech.

"Did you find the captain?!"

"_Affirmative. Captain Endri is drifting 7,063 kilometers off the port bow. Shall I bring him aboard?_"

Kyle was almost ecstatic in relief. "_Yes!_ Bring him aboard, _now!_"

"_Acknowledged. Engaging tow-beam at five percent power. Towing into Cargo Bay 3. Approximate time: two minutes and thirty-five seconds._"

Kyle leapt from his chair in a mad dash for the lift, Kaikatsu chasing after him and darting inside just before the doors closed. She stood near the back corner, cradling her baby and staring at her half Saiya-jin friend with a wary eye. The man was pacing nervously, not a foot from the doors. His tail was uncoiled, and it swiped back and forth in agitation, wishing it was long enough to swat the floor, but settling for the backs of his legs and the wall next to him.

"Kyle" she whispered.

He stopped with his back to her, turning to face the doors and leap out as soon as they opened.

Her voice was so quiet, a Human could barely hear, but Kyle's ears easily picked up her words. "What do you expect to do? You can't save him."

"Yes, I can."

"Buthe's gone."

"Not completely."

"What do you mean? He's not dead?"

Kyle's head tilted toward the floor, and Kaikatsu only assumed his eyes had dropped as well. "Nohe _is_ dead. I know that. I'm not a complete fool."

"Then what are you trying to accomplish? Do you want to bury him properly? On your new planet?"

He actually chuckled. "If I tried to bury himhe would be very angry with me. I'd never hear the end of it."

She sighed. "You aren't making any sense. Maybe you should go and lie down. Get some rest. Maybe think about this all when your head is clear?"

He growled, spinning and staring at her. "My head is quite clear, woman. And I suggest you keep any further comments to yourself. I _know_ what I'm talking about!"

The doors slid open, and Kyle wasted no more time, spinning on his heel and almost running to the third set of doors on the left. He smacked the button to open the doors and slipped inside before they were even fully opened. Kaikatsu lingered behind, almost afraid to step through and see what was left of Captain Endri.

"_Ahh–AHHH!!_" Kyle's scream hit her ears followed by what she took for a muffled sob and a thump as he fell to his knees. "No _Kami_, no! Please, no."

Mustering up her courage, she swallowed and stepped through the doors, only to stop in mid-step and stare open-mouthed.

Captain Endri Juice was practically blown to shreds.

He lay in a growing pool of thick, deep red blood, half on his back and half on his side. The large piece of flat metal from the wall of the other ship still protruded from his chest and out his back, forcing him into that position. All his hair was burned off, and large patches of his skin were charred or missing. Most of his clothes were gone as well, only shreds and strings still clinging desperately to him, trying to cover what they could, but failing miserably. Surprisingly, the man was basically still in one piece, but he was nowhere near the strong man he used to be. He was broken and lifeless, only the shell of what once was.

"_C-Captain_" Kyle whispered to his superior, "_say something. Pleasetell me what to do._ You know I have a hard time unless I'm following some order you gave me! Please, Captain, wake up. Open your eyes! Something"

Kaikatsu's hand was covering her mouth once more, this time to stifle the bile rising in her throat: the sight was so sickening. She swallowed more than a few times before being able to pull her hand away and speak clearly but softly.

"K-Kylewhat are you planning on doing with him?"

The man's back was facing her again as he knelt next to his fallen captain, shoulders slumped and fists balled against the floor before him. His tail lay limp upon the deck plates, not even twitching. His eyes were apparently locked to the dead man's visage.

"I-I A tank. I must get him into a tank! He'll heal and be back to normal in no time! Y-You'll see!"

He reached over and grasped the metal plate and yanked, trying to remove it from Endri's chest. It wouldn't budge. He needed to remove it before placing his body into a regeneration tank, so, Kyle stood and tried pulling again. Still, the only thing he accomplished was jostling Endri's body. Muttering an apology, he braced his foot against the side of the dead man's chest and yanked again, this time pulling the metal free with a sickening _slush_ and the scraping and grinding of bones.

As Kyle tossed the bloody metal to the side, Kaikatsu spun on her heel and bit into the back of her hand to keep the scream and vomit from escaping her lips.

A moment later a blur rushed past her with a limp body dangling from its arms.

She coughed before calling after Kyle. "Where are you taking him?!"

"Med Bay!" he yelled over his shoulder. "I have to put him into a tank! I have to heal him! He's counting on me, don't you see?! He knew I'd know what to do!" He stopped his rant to gaze down at Endri, his feet still propelling them toward Med Bay. "You'll be fine. I won't let you down, Captain. You'll see. I'll make you proud of me. I won't rest until I have your _complete_ approval!"

He slid into the medical bay, slamming his fist to the first regeneration tank panel he came across. The tank slid out and readied itself just as it had for Endri when he had beaten Kyle beyond consciousness. The captain's body was quickly placed inside and what was left of his clothing was stripped off. Only one electrode was attached to his body, off to the left side of his heart, and the breathing mask was skipped.

A dead man needed no oxygen.

In an instant, the tank lid was closed and it was filled with the blue regenerating liquid. Kaikatsu walked in just in time to see the glass tube locking back into the base and the bubbling filtration process begin.

At that point, she heard Kyle whisper, "_You **will** be proud of me before I die. I **will** gain your absolute respect,_" he raised his hand and laid it upon the cool glass, "_my captainmy friend._"

It was then that she finally understood. Endri _was_ dead, but Kyle just wouldn't accept it because he had never earned the man's recognition while he was alive. He so desperately wanted his captain's approval that he was going to great lengths to convince himself that he could still get it. He had gone delusional in his grief.

Endri must have been a tough man. He must never have given praise to his commander for a job well done or even so much as a thank you. Kyle was just starving for a little attention, it seemed–attention the captain never seemed to give. How terrible for him to die in such a way and leave Kyle stranded, not knowing what to do, where to goand leaving him sorely unfulfilled.

"_Kyle_" Kaikatsu whispered, stepping over to him and laying her free hand to his arm on a section not covered in Endri's blood, "I'm so sorry this had to happen. I wish things could have been better for you."

"_Hn_" he grumbled, not removing his hand from the glass nor his eyes from the figure encased within.

She paused for a while, trying to keep her eyes averted from the captain and the huge ragged slice down the center of his entire torso. "Whatwill you do now?"

Kyle frowned. He hadn't thought that far ahead. "II will continue our mission. We will go onward to Tetrus-_sei_ as planned. Hopefully he'll be out by then." He looked over at her. "Forgive me. I'm not good at giving orders or organizing the duties that must be done on the ship and off. I'm used to taking orders from the captain. Since he is in no condition to give them nor run his ship, I am assuming command. Hopefully, it won't be for too long. But with injuries like thathe could be in there for monthsmaybe up to _six_ months." He bit his lip and shook his head slightly, still with his hand planted firmly on the glass. "I'm no good at commandingbut I will do my best to make him proud of me in his absence."

Kaikatsu smiled and squeezed his arm a bit in reassurance. "I'm sure he'd be very proud of you right now."

He shook his head. "No. If he's proud of me, he'll tell me when he gets out."

"But, KyleI hate to keep reminding you, but–"

"I know! I _know_ he's dead! He's _been_ dead, and he _will be_ forever! You will see, though. He'll come out of there good as new in a few months. He'll smile at me and say, 'Good job, Kyle.' Then he'll pat me on the back and give me the rest of the day off. You'll see. He has to. He _will!_"

She blinked and dropped her eyes to the floor. "You're confusing meI can't stay and see him like this. I-I have to get out of here."

Finally, Kyle pulled his hand away from the glass and turned to face her and her baby, still held in her protective arms. "Go on, then. I'll see you for dinner later. I need to get cleaned up and program the ship to continue on her course."

"In all honesty, I'm not really hungry and doubt I will be then either."

He looked to the floor at their feet. "Welldo come if you're hungry. I can't force you to eat, but pleasedon't starve to death."

Smiling, Kaikatsu turned and headed for the door. "I won't."

She left, leaving Kyle alone with his captain floating in the regeneration tank before him. He wouldn't put the tank away in the wall. He would leave it out so he could monitor Endri at all times, see his progression and keep the tank in perfect working order. Nothing would go wrong. He would make sure of that.

"Feel lucky you found me all those years ago, Captain, or you would still be floating in space with a chunk of metal in your chest." Again, he placed a hand to the glass, letting it fog the outline of his fingers and palm. "Heal wellheal quickly Come back to me. Don't leave me alone like I was before. I need your guidance to keep me sane. Please."

_  
  
  
  
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Japanese — English Translation  
  


O genki desu (pronounced "des") ka? — How are you?

Kami — God


	7. Chapter 7: Back from the Dead

Thank you for your wonderful review Wanda! You always crack me up! ^_^  
  
This chapter is unusually long and full of lots of information. Hope it's enjoyable. And be prepared, next time, an old face shows up out of the blue! O_O  
  
  
  


Saiya-jin Voyage  
Spencers13 2002-2003  
PG-13 – Action/Adventure – Sci-Fi – Drama  
  
All characters, ship & place names © Spencers13 except  
Vegeta, Goku, Gohan, Goten, Chichi, Bulma, Mr. & Mrs. Briefs, Freeza & any DBZ concepts and place names © Akira Toriyama  
Beetlejuice © Geffen Film Co. 

Chapter Seven - Back From The Dead  
  


_Amazing. Simply amazing. It's been a little over three months now, and Captain Endri's body has **actually** been healing inside that 'Regeneration Tank', as Kyle calls it. Even though he is deceased, it's not so hard to look at him anymore. The ragged slice in his chest has closed and looks to be no more than a deep scratch. His hair is actually growing back as well! Now the bangs come down to the bridge of his nose. Though the captain with such short hair looks a little odd, I must admit._

_All the scratches, bruises, burns, and missing chunks of skin have healed completely. Kyle said that they were small injuries on the whole, and easily repaired with the help of the regeneration liquid in the tank. Now the only major remaining injuries are his chest and a few deep puncture wounds in his right side and upper leg._

_It's still so sad. He actually looks peaceful in there floating among the bubbles. Always, when I've seen him, he had a scowl on his face, his eyes narrow and the space between his brow wrinkled with a frown. I thought for a while that it was just the way he lookedkind of like Vegeta. Vegeta always had that deeply set scowl on all the time. It was just the way his face was shaped. But now I see that Endri's face is actually **not** that way. He looks like a little boy in there. He actually looks innocent and small. I know it sounds silly, and I could be killed for even uttering such words that are derogatory to Saiya-jin, butI'm still allowed to **think** so._

_He's **adorable** in there; like a lost little boy that just needs a hug._

_With Kyle around, however, Endri is nowhere **near** lost. The man with white hair is constantly in Med Bay checking on the captain's condition or just sitting there in his vigil. Occasionally, he'll leave. He still needs to pilot the ship and work on system repairs that he can get to. But when he's not doing anything, he's in that Med Bay, watching over his captain._

_It'ssad. He believes so adamantly that Endri will emerge unscathed from that tank. He thinks the man will just walk out and begin talking and commanding like always. He must not understanddeath. I do, though. I've seen enough of it to know what it looks likesmells like. I've had enough for my lifetime already. The man I lovedand the man I'd like to get to know betterboth gone._

_And all I could do was watch._

_It's too much for me right now. II can't_

_We've been to Tetrus-sei and left again. We only stayed for a day, just long enough to gather the supplies we needed and head along on our way. Kyle stocked enough power cells to make **ten** trips back and forth between Earth and New Vegeta-sei. He said he didn't want to be caught short again—said Endri would be upset if they ran low again._

_Poor man. He just can't get over the fact that the captain is dead._

_Our stop on Tetrus-sei was about two months ago, and we've been traveling to another planet since then. This one is called 'Haleah', I think. Or was it 'Haleah-sei'? I can never be sure. Saiya-jin like to add that little suffix to planet names. It confuses me sometimes. Anyway, the Saiya government on New Vegeta-sei thinks some Saiya-jin could be living there. So Kyle must make a stop there to check to make sure._

_The man in charge that talked to him wondered where Endri was. He called him by his first name, so they must have been familiar at some point before. Kyle only said that the captain wasn't available to speak._

_Endri is still floating in that tankand he's still dead. His body is practically healed now. When I occasionally walk in to see, I can barely even see an indentation, a mark, anything that could have said there was an injury there before._

_It really is remarkable. Such technology is amazing to me. Something that can heal a man so quickly. Something that can even heal the flesh of a dead man back to complete health, but still leave the man a corpse. If left in there, he would never decay, I suspect. He would always be a picture of perfection, floating there as if only asleep. Maybe that's what Kyle is meaning to do? Maybe he's going to leave the captain in there forever so he can look at him, talk to him as if he was still there._

_As wrong as that sounds, I feel as if it could be a good—and yet bad—thing for Kyle. He's so attached to his half Saiya-jin captain that he just can't let go. He talks to him even though Endri's ears are now deaf._

_But at least he can still have him near. I envy him in that respect. He can still see Endri. I can't see Vegeta anymore. Only in my memoriesand even then, his face is fading from my mind. I don't want to let it go, but it's beyond my control. His voice, in a rare whisper, tells me I am to have his sonhis heir. But the words are so soft now, I can barely hear them._

_I don't want to forget—I **DON'T!** ButI can't help it._

_Now, when I see Vegeta in that bio suit, I see Endri's face instead. I see **his** body torn apart, not Vegeta's._

_What does that mean?_

Kyle sat in his usual spot in the medical bay of the Rishelieu: upon an examination table situated about ten feet from the front of Endri's regeneration tank. He sat with his elbows resting on his knees and his legs crossed underneath him. Deep blue eyes rested upon the glass of the tank, taking in every detail of it and its occupant.

It had been almost six months. What was taking so long? Surely he would be out by now. Endri _was_ a fast healer, was he not?

And yes, he _was_ healed completely. Absolutely no wounds were left on his body, not even scars. His hair had returned to full length, cascading down to just reach his shoulder blades. It was all one length now, however, and looked just a bit odd. Kyle was used to seeing Endri with bangs cut to be level with his top lip. He wasn't complaining, though. He just wanted his captain back out of that tank and running the ship again like always. Praise wasn't really at the top of his list anymore. He just wanted Endri out, that's all. That's all.

The bay doors opened suddenly, startling him from his stare. He knew who it was, but still couldn't help jumping a little. He should have sensed her coming. Damn. He was letting his worry blind him. Not good.

"Hello. Are you hungry?" Kaikatsu asked, resting a bowl full to the brim with fruits and vegetables on the table next to him.

"Mmm" he hummed, eyeing up the treats before reaching over and pulling an apple from the top. He crunched into it hungrily and finished it off about fifteen seconds later, throwing the core over his shoulder and reaching for another yummy tidbit.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'." She smiled, folding her hands behind her back. "I was able to bring those with me from Earth, so I could still have some of the food I liked. Is it good?"

"Mmm" Kyle mumbled around a mouthful. "Where's Tanoshii?" he asked, cheeks puffed out with a bunch of white grapes.

Kaikatsu continued her smile, cocking her head just a bit to the side and closing her eyes happily. "He's sleeping in his crib. I just put him down, so I should have a good three of four hours before he'll wake up."

He nodded, tossing bits of grapevine over his shoulder and diving back for more. He ate so ravenously, it was almost like he was starved. His cheeks were swollen out like a hamster with bits of apple, orange, and banana all being chewed at once. Butthat's just how Saiya-jin ate.

"KyleI've been meaning to talk to you about something."

"Wassat?" he mumbled.

She looked to the tube finally, almost blushing at the sight of the captain's nude form within. "Uh H-How long are you going to leave him in there?"

"As long as it takes. He should be out soon, though."

Another apple core hit the floor.

"How will you tell if he's ready to come out or not?"

A banana peel was tossed over his shoulder.

"He will wake up."

Kaikatsu's eyes fell to the floor. "OhI don't mean to be rude, but"

"Bu'wha?" he mumbled around another mouthful of food.

She turned around presenting him with her back, unable to look him in the face. "May I be honest with you?"

"Mm-hmm."

There was a long pause.

"I think you don't realize that he's dead. I think you don't know what it means for a person to _be_ dead."

Slowly, Kyle swallowed the last bite in his mouth before he allowed a growl to slip from his throat. "Are you saying I'm ignorant?"

She whirled back around, throwing her hands up in defense. "No! No-no! I just mean that—"

"I'm not _stupid!_" Kaikatsu winced. "I know the captain better than you _ever_ could! I _know_ he will emerge from that tank soon, and he'll be _just_ like before! Don't give me your speeches about death and dying—I know _all_ about it! The truth is the captain _is_ dead. I _know_ that! I have _always_ known he was dead! But that doesn't change the fact that he will be fine once he gets out of the tank!"

"Kyle, please stop! You're just confusing me! I—"

_CRACK-K-K!_

The shouting stopped as both people looked toward the regeneration tank. Endrihad _moved_ inside! His fist was planted firmly on the glass in front of him, and a small crack had broken its perfection.

Kaikatsu just didn't know what to do with herself, and Kyle leapt from the table, but slipped on a banana peel and fell flat on his rear before he made it very far.

Another swing of the captain's arm, and the glass shattered, sending a wave of regeneration water outward to splash onto the two and a body falling to the floor not far away. Endri landed with a dull thud and small splash of light blue water. He made no sound nor did he move anymore.

Kyle stood slowly, rubbing at his backside. He picked his way over and knelt beside the captain.

Kaikatsu continued to stand a short distance away, a hand over her mouth and eyes as wide as saucers.

Endri still laid motionless on his stomach until his body jerked and he rose up to his knees, dry heaving.

"He's still got regeneration fluid in his lungs! He can't breathe!" Kyle shouted, reaching around to lock his fists near the captain's diaphragm and push up and in.

As soon as he did, blue fluid poured out from Endri's mouth and onto the floor. It dripped from his nose as well, backed up even to that point. Kyle continued to Heimlich him and draw forth more liquid with every thrust. Finally a cough sputtered from his mouth, and he reached back to push Kyle away. The man was shoved with such force, he toppled over and cracked his head off the floor.

Kaikatsu took a step forward and reached out, worried that Kyle was hurt, but he sat up a second later, unfazed. Onlyhe _was_ hurt. After all he had done, Endri just pushed him away like it meant nothing.

The captain coughed more, sputtering up liquid and taking huge gulps of air. It hurt. It hurt to breathe. What was going on? What happened?

"—_koff-koff_—Wh—_gasp_—Where am I?!" he shouted, his eyes tightly closed and facing the floor, still on his elbows and knees. His soaked tail hung limply behind him, only the tip twitching in agitation.

Kyle looked to Kaikatsu for a second, worry lining his features. He turned his head back to Endri just as quickly. "You're aboard the MSC Rishelieu, Captain. Your ship."

"R-Rishelieu—_k-koff_—My shipmy ship—_koff-koff_—_My ship!_ What happened?! Is it safe?! Where are the pirates?!"

"_Shhh!_ Captain, everything is fine! The pirates have been destroyed. Your ship is safe."

Endri growled in his throat before having to cough and spit up a little more liquid. "No one attacks _my_ ship! I-I—_koff-k-koff-koff_—I've worked too hard and long on it for someone to blow it up!"

Kyle laid what was meant to be a comforting hand to his shoulder, but it was slapped away a moment later. Masking his hurt once more, he said, "You have no need for worry, Captain. Everything is fine now. It's been almost six months since the pirates attacked. You've been healing in a tank ever since."

Oh, really? How intriguing.

Slowly, Endri's eyes opened to see the regeneration water-covered floor a few inches from his face. He blinked until it came into focus, then made an attempt to sit up on his knees. He refused help from anyone, and after the third try, he made it. With hands braced to his knees, he panted a bit, trying to catch his breath as he never had regained it in the first place.

"A-A tank How did I get in the tank?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"I put you in one soon after I brought you back aboard. You wereinjured from the explosion," Kyle half-whispered. He sat about five feet away now, almost afraid to approach anymore.

Another growl from Endri. "_You_ put me in a tank?! I gave you no such order!"

Kyle quaked. He knew his captain was much more powerful than he. But now that he had been close to "death" and back, his power had increased yet again. There was little hope that the gap between them could ever be closed before; now it was impossible. Endri was just far too strong.

"B-But, Captain, I thought—"

"You aren't here to think, Commander! You're here to follow my orders to the letter! Is that understood?!"

"How dare you?!" Kaikatsu shouted, stepping in finally. She was still thoroughly confused—not to mention frightened—as to how the dead captain could still move and talk, but she wasn't about to stand by and watch Kyle being cut down for doing nothing wrong. "He saved you, and you're berating him for it?! You ungrateful bastard! He just wants your appreciation! Is that so hard to give?!"

Kyle was rapidly waving her off, but she refused to budge.

Endri's head slowly swiveled in her direction, an angry snarl on his lips, and his brow wrinkled into a frown. "Get. Out."

"N-Not until you apologize to him!" she stammered, not impervious to his frightening anger.

"_NOW!!_" he screamed, his power pulsing from his entire body. It shot out in a wave that knocked her to the floor, but she was back up again in no time, making a beeline for the door.

As soon as the doors swooshed shut, Endri turned back to Kyle, still looking quite angry.

"C-Captain, I—"

"Shut up! What did I just tell you?!"

Kyle lowered his eyes to the floor and closed them. Quietly, he replied, "That I am only here to follow your orders, Sir."

"And I order you to get me a towel and some clothes. Now!"

He nodded once and rose to his feet. Trotting over to one of the many drawers in the wall, Kyle pulled out a large white towel and took it back to drape it over Endri's shoulders. He retreated immediately to look for some spare clothes in another drawer. He came across a white _gi_ top and grey pants. It didn't match well, but they were clothes. Carting them back over, he laid them on a dry spot on the floor before his captain, then bowed with a fist crossed over to his opposite shoulder in salute. He eased off gradually to stand a few feet away and averted his eyes while Endri dressed.

"If you wish, Captain, I will clean this mess," he said, staring at the wet floor and shards of glass.

Endri pulled the _gi_ shirt over his head then made sure his pants were tied securely before replying. "_Iie_, that's fine. The servo-bots will take care of it."

Kyle barely nodded, but the captain saw.

"Soyou overstepped my authority and threw me into a tank without my permission? What if I _wanted_ to stay the way I was, _ne_? What if I didn't _want_ to be healed in the tank?" he asked, half turned away and a secretive smirk on his lips.

Kyle never looked over, only sagged his shoulders and drooped his tail in utter defeat. "Iassumed you would rather not. Forgive me."

Endri crossed his arms, still turned away. "_Forgive_ you?! _Humph!_ I will _never_ forgive your actions, Commander! And you'd better stop sniveling about it or I will throw you off my ship and you'll have to eke out a living on some _other_ ship, following someone _else's_ orders! How would you like _that?!_"

Kyle squeezed his eyes shut and stooped over slightly, covering his ears with his hands. "No, please!"

"No, you wouldn't like that would you? Face it, Kyle, you are _nothing_ without me here to protect you! Just like it has _always_ been You have always needed my protection ever since I found you. You're just a weakling, not even deserving of the title 'Saiya-jin'! You've never been able to get past the things that have happened to you, always coming to sit under the shade of my wing when things became too much for you. And that happened quite often, if I recall."

"Stop! Please, no more!" he shouted, falling to his knees and shaking like a leaf. Why was the captain bringing up such horrible memories now—memories he couldn't handle? He never used to rub Kyle's past in his face. Why now? What had happened to him in that tank?! He had changed!

Endri whirled, but his commander didn't see. His eyes were tightly shut, dreading even the sight of his angry captain.

"On your feet," he ordered slowly in a low voice, tinged with anger.

Shakily, Kyle obeyed, standing on his feet with fists balled at his sides, his eyes still closed tight.

"What should I do with you, Commander? Are you even fit to carry that title anymore?"

His eyes shot open in hurt. Now he wanted to take away his command?! Was putting Endri in the regeneration tank _so_ wrong?!

"C-Captain, I have served you loyally for over _ten_ years! I have _never_ questioned your orders! I have followed you _blindly_ into the most dangerous of situations, trusted your _every_ word! What have I done to anger you so? Is it still the power cells? If so, you need not worry! We made our stop at Tetrus-_sei_! We have enough cells to last us ten more years! Is it because I put you in the regen-tank without your prior permission? If so, I apologize. You were unconscious! How was I to know that wasn't what you wanted?! I thought you would want to heal the fastest way possible! I-I was only—"

"Worried about me?"

Kyle's eyes fell to the floor again. "_Hai_," he said simply, nerves making the word shudder.

Endri's smirk resurfaced, and he shook his head, tisking his tongue. "Kyle, Kyle, Kyle Don't you know that caring about people will be your downfall? You can't afford it in our way of life."

"Then why don't you start blaming my mother?!" the commander shouted, looking back up and balling his fists at his sides. "It seemed to help my father, so maybe it will help _you_ as well! He claimed she was raising me to be soft and weak, not the warrior I was supposed to be. He said warriors didn't cry, that they would be stronger if they could control their emotions. But my mother told me that a man that could admit defeat and cry was the stronger one. I was so confused, I didn't know who to follow! So my father decided it time to end the confusion. He _killed_ my mother before my very eyes! I loved my mother, and I will admit it freely! I'm not afraid of persecution because I am Saiya-jin but show emotion.

"So what if I was worried about you?! I worry about a lot of things! I've been worrying over _your_ damn ship the entire time you were in there! I ran it, kept it in working order for when you would emerge. I thoughtmaybe you would be happy that I had done so well—"

"Shut up!" Endri shouted, cutting him off at last.

Kyle winced and looked away. He couldn't help notice, however, that the captain didn't seem completely angry. In fact, he was still smirking.

"Commander Kyle Bennington," he growled, catching the white-haired man's attention, "get over here, _now!_" he finished, pointing to the spot directly in front of him.

"Captain! P-Please, I beg f-forgiveness—"

"_NOW!!_" he screamed, dropping the smirk and baring his teeth.

Kyle jumped, startled, and gulped silently. Why couldn't he control his tongue?! He was in for it now! Slowly, he took small steps toward Endri and stood before him about two feet away. He couldn't hide the shaking in his hands or the nervous twitching of his arms and shoulders.

"I said to stand _here_not _there_, mister," the captain growled, pointing to the floor between them.

Kyle swallowed again and inched forward, standing barely a foot away. He could clearly see the swirling facets in Endri's eyes and wondered if that was the angry swirl or the devious one.

"You're _still_ not where I want you to be."

One final time, Kyle slid forward, so close that their chests barely touched. He averted his eyes, not able to look into the captain's face without it being blurry and prayed for whatever was going to happen to happen quickly and painlessly.

Without warning, Endri's arms came up to encircle Kyle's back, and his chin leaned down to rest on the man's shoulder. The commander jumped a bit, startled and worried that his captain would shove a knife of _ki_ in his back. But the blow didn't come. Only the slight warmth of his arms was felt around him.

Aa hug? Butwhy?

"Kyle, I should have told you before. I regret not, now. I don't know where I'd be without you. You're a good man, loyal, and one hell of a commander. I'mI'm _proud_ to have you with me. No one else will do. I apologize for upsetting you, but I wanted to make sure you stood firm in your beliefs that what you did was the right thing. I was testing youand you passed. If you want, when we get back to New Vegeta-_sei_, I can arrange to get you a ship. You're fit enough to command one of your own now. I'm so proud of you, Kyle. You've come such a long way."

Tears poured unchecked down Kyle's cheeks, and his shoulders lurched with silent sobs. He _wasn't_ weakhe was strong for being able to show his true emotions. He _was_ strong.

That was what he always wanted; what he _only_ wanted. Absolute recognitionit felt so good.

"_C-Captain—_" was all he could get out before his sobs became more vocal.

"_Shhh_ It's all right, now. You did excellent, Kyle. When I told you to not let me down, I only wanted you to bring me back aboard so I wouldn't be floating in space forever. I never even thought of a regeneration tank. That shows you have a commanding attitude. You saw what had happened, what needed to be done about it, and the best solution to get there. You don't need me to guide you anymore. You're ready to be on your own now."

Kyle shook in Endri's embrace, he was so overwhelmed. Speech was a little beyond him at that point, so he just clung tightly, basking in he praise he was receiving. To have someone as important as the captain say such good things about himhis joy was beyond even thought.

"Come-on, now. I can easily sense you're tired. I know you haven't been getting much sleep lately, _ne_?" Endri asked, taking his commander by the shoulders and pushing him away slightly.

"I-Iwatched you as much as I couldto make sure you were all right."

He smirked. "I know. I could sense you nearby most of the time. The woman too, occasionally. Damn. The woman. I probably frightened her a few minutes ago. I didn't mean to; I just wanted her out so we could talk freely." He looked away and closed his eyes, searching with his senses to find her. "She's back in her room. I will have to go and apologize later. Right now, I need to drag your ass into bed."

"Oh, I'm—I'm fine," Kyle mumbled, wiping his eyes and sniffing. "I'm ready for duty, Captain."

Endri smirked again, keeping his arm around his friend's shoulders and beginning to lead him out through the medical bay doors. "Two things. One, you are almost falling on your face now that you are emotionally drained. And two" He stopped and turned Kyle to face him, hands to his shoulders and gazing intensely into his eyes. "Only on this ship, only in privateyou may call me by my first name. We are friends, Kyle. Friends call each other by their first names. Mine is Endri. I want you to call me that."

Kyle's bloodshot eyes widened beyond reason. "F-Friends? Truly?"

"Mmm." A nod.

"E-Endri" he said, the word so foreign to his lips. "I am so very honored."

Endri chuckled. "Yes, you should be. I've never considered _anyone_ a friend before you."

Kyle trembled a bit again, his eyes glossing back over. "D-Do I still need to ask p-permission if I wisht-to hug you again?"

His captain simply shook his head, an _actual_ smile twisting both sides of his mouth up.

Immediately, Kyle fell forward, resting his weary eyes to Endri's shoulder. His tail wrapped around the captain's waist, knowing it was supposed to be a deeply intimate sentiment between two Saiya-jin, but not caring. He wanted to make sure it was all real. He wanted to make sure Endri was going to stay right there.

They embraced again, this time for a long stretch of time. Only when the commander's tail slipped away from Endri's waist to dangle limply, did he realize Kyle had fallen asleep against him. After a light chuckle, he reached down behind the man's knees and lifted him up to carry him back to his cabin for some much-deserved rest.

Kaikatsu paced nervously in her room, trying to be quiet so as not to wake her baby.

That whole thing was like it was right out of a horror movie! The dead man floating in a tube broke free to rampage! A shiver ran down her spine. Was he some kind of zombie? What if Kyle couldn't stop him?! What if he came after _her_ now?! She bit her lip and whimpered.

A knock came at her door seconds before it opened.

Only one person did that.

She whirled around to lock eyes with Captain Endri, still dressed in the white _gi_ top and grey pants. No socks or boots adorned his feet nor gloves on his hands. His tail swung loosely behind him, it's fur and the hair on his head still damp from the regeneration water. He smirked and stepped forward into the room.

That's when Kaikatsu screamed.

She dove to the side and grabbed her suddenly crying toddler from the crib and leapt onto her bed to huddle as close to the wall as possible with him. There was nowhere else to go. The bed was the farthest thing away she could see in that second of panic.

Endri stopped advancing and held a hand up. "_Iie_, _iie_! _Shhh!_ I won't hurt you."

"Y-You stay away from us! Monster! Wh-What have you done to Kyle?! You killed him, didn't you?!" she screamed, eyes wild.

He frowned, but stayed where he was. He didn't want to upset her more. "Woman, calm down. Look!" he stood up tall and rested his palms to his chest, "I'm the same as before. I still swear on my honor to protect you and the chi—"

"No!" she shouted, further upsetting Tanoshiiko. "Y-You're dead! You can't be walking around if you're dead! _K-Kaibutsu_! _Kaibutsu!!_"

"_Rrrr_I'm not a monster! Stop saying that! Look at me; do I _look_ like a monster?!"

Kaikatsu stared for a long moment, looking him up and down thoroughly. At length, she jerkily shook her head 'no'.

Endri finally had to reach up and brace his ears against her baby's howls. His sensitive hearing was being bombarded mercilessly. "_Oi_! Tanoshiiko! Hush now," he called.

Instantly, the baby quieted and turned his head about, looking for the voice he found familiar. He was able to wiggle around and sit with his back against his mother's chest and cooed with delight when he caught sight of Endri.

"Aaa ba! Aaa ba!" he squealed, swinging chubby arms forward, wanting to be picked up.

The captain smirked. "Look at you, _ne_? You've grown so since I have been away. In another year or so, you should be ready for training." He reached forward and waved his fingers toward himself. "Come, little one, let me see if you can walk."

Happily, Tanoshiiko squirmed free of his mother's grip and slipped off the bed.

"No! Tano-_chan_, you stay here! He's dangerous! Get back up here!" She reached out and grabbed for him, but he had already taken a few steps away.

"Hush, woman, take a look," Endri said from across the room. He pointed toward the toddler as he wobbled on unsteady legs. He tilted to the right but swung his little tail to the left, then tilted to the left and swung his tail to the right. "See how he balances himself with his tail. He's a smart one. It is easier for Saiya-jin children to learn to walk than it is for other species of children. Our tails make balancing a lot easier. He rarely falls, I suspect."

At that point, Tanoshiiko made the entire trek across the floor and grabbed onto Endri's pants. "Aba aba aba!"

"_Hnhn._ You want up, up, up? Very well." The man reached down and picked the baby up and balanced him on his hip. "There You're heavier too! Have you been eating like a Saiya-jin, little one?"

"AAAA! Mumumum!" he cooed, fisting handfuls of blonde hair but not tugging.

"No, I'm not your mama. Look. Your mama is over there, see?" Endri said, pointing to Kaikatsu on the bed. She sat, staring with wide eyes at the scene. The toddler squealed when he saw his mother, then looked back up to the captain. He reached up and patted his chubby fingers against Endri's cheek, smiling like his little face would crack in half. The half Saiya-jin took the little fingers into his hand and pulled them away from his face gently. "YesI missed you as well. But don't tell anyone I said that."

Tanoshiiko cooed and wrapped his arms around whatever he could and curled up against Endri's side. His tail twitched and looped around the man's arm to make sure he would stay there.

The captain looked up to Kaikatsu with a smirk. "Your child trusts me. He knows I am still the same. You have no need to be afraid of me, woman. I wouldn't harm you or him. And I have not harmed Kyle either. I sent him off to his cabin for rest. He was exhausted from watching over me so much."

She blinked and released a breath she didn't realize she had held. "H-How is this possible? You were on the other ship when it exploded. You had a huge piece of metal embedded in your chest! It practically sliced you in half!"

Tanoshiiko stirred and whimpered at the raised voice.

"Shush, woman. You're disturbing him." Endri stepped forward and around the couch, still facing the bed after almost a year from when it was first moved. He sat down and situated the baby in his lap and held him close against his chest. He never pictured himself cradling a child to himselfand it wasn't even his own.

His eyebrow quirked curiously. "Was I _really_ almost cut in half by a piece of metal?"

All Kaikatsu did was nod 'yes' several times.

"Hmmno wonder Kyle threw me into a tank. There was no _way_ I could have healed from _that_ very quickly. But to answer your question, it _is_ impossible for a mortal to survive such circumstances."

Her hand covered her mouth, and she spoke from behind it. "M-Mortal? Y-You mean you're _im_mortal?"

"_Hnhnhn!_" he chuckled, resting his gaze down to the dozing child he held. "I never said I was immortal."

"All right, you!" she growled, startling Endri into full attention. "No more dancing around the answer! I got enough of it from Kyle, and I won't take it from you! Now, you—you tell me what's going on with you, oryou'll be sorry! I mean it!" she finished, raising her small fists into the air threateningly.

"My, my," he smirked. "Very well, woman, I will tell you everything you want to know." His countenance grew dark a second later, and his voice growled out, "But if you ever repeat _anything_ you have learned on this ship to anyone, I will _kill_ you _myself!_ I can't afford to have loose ends lying about. Do you understand?!"

She nodded with such violence, he thought her head may snap off.

"Good. Now, first of all, Tanoshiiko seems to have woken up. So, let me tell you both a story. How does that sound? _Ne_ Tanoshii? Would you like a story?" Endri chuckled, bouncing the toddler in his lap.

The little one cooed with delight, hands fisted into the softness of the man's _gi_ shirt.

Kaikatsu frowned. "You know baby bedtime stories?"

The captain bared his teeth at her and growled low in his throat. "Don't try my patience, woman. Shut up and listen. This is important."

She nodded and tried to find a more comfortable position on the bed.

"Tanoshii, have you been a naughty boy?" Endri began, looking down into the child's black eyes. "If you have, you need to watch out. Naughty boys will be taken away! Taken away from Mama and Papa! Taken into a dark and scary place where they will never return from! You don't want that do you?"

Tanoshiiko understood his words and shook his little head 'no', his eyes wide with wonder.

"That's good. Nowlet me tell you about the creatures that will take you away if you've been naughty. They are frightening things! A culmination of all the evil thoughts and actions of all naughty boys and girls. They are the dreaded 'Necro-jin'!" Endri widened his eyes and squeezed the baby's waist a fraction tighter, trying to give him a little scare.

The boy jumped and whimpered.

"Oh, don't worry, Tanoshii. If you've been good, you will never see those horrible creatures.

"They have existed since time began, and they have no home planet, so they wander about the Universe, searching for naughty boys and girls to steal away from their parents and eat them alive! _Hnhn!_ But don't worry, Tanoshii. You're a good boy, so they will never come for you. Now, rest your head. Get some sleep. Don't worry, I will stay to protect you."

Tanoshiiko squirmed for a moment, but with the encouragement of Endri's gentle hand caressing his tail, he snuggled close and drifted off.

The captain looked up to Kaikatsu and noticed her staring at his caressing hand with a deep blush on her face. He wondered for a moment why she would react in such a way, but then recalled a little fact.

"Kyle must have told you about Saiya-jin tails, am I right?"

She nodded, the blush deepening.

"Well, it seems he neglected to mention that it doesn't develop sexual sensitivity until the child is at least twelve Earth years of age. To him now, it feels like a comforting back rub. It's an easy way to get Saiya-jin babies to sleep if they are fussing. After he turns twelve, however, you had better not touch his tail purposely anymore. It isn't considered 'appropriate' in our culture just as incest isn't appropriate in yours."

She gulped and nodded again, her blush disappearing. "S-Soare you going to tell me about everything that's been going on or not?"

He chuckled and closed his eyes for a second. "Very well. Let me ask you this: You know I am half Saiya-jin, correct?"

"Yes."

"_But!_ Have you ever considered what my _other_ half is?" he asked, a devilish smirk twisting his lips.

Kaikatsu frowned and looked thoughtful, crossing her arms and staring at him intensely. Finally, she cocked her head to the side and said, "You look relatively Human except for certaindifferences."

His smirk grew. "You Humans. Always comparing everyone else to you, when everyone else is comparing you to such things as garden slugs."

She huffed at the insult, but said nothing.

"In fact, most of the species' of the Universe look relatively the same. In your case, 'Humanoid'. Two arms, two legs, one head, et cetera, et cetera. That is just common knowledge you seem to have missed. And, no, I am _not_ half Human. Although Kyle seems to be just that. NoI am part of a race that only exists in legends stories to children at bedtime that frighten them into behaving. My kind, to the common people of the Universe, does not exist. So to many, I am not real."

Kaikatsu sat quietly, digesting the information. A moment later, she looked up to Endri in fear. "Y-You're one of those baby-eaters!"

If he hadn't been holding Tanoshiiko, he would have face-vaulted to the floor. "_No!_ Stupid woman! That was just a story that mothers tell their children to make them behave! Necro-jin are _not_ baby-eaters!" He took a moment to calm himself then started over. "Let me just explain everything so you won't be confused. I'm obviously not getting through to you this way."

She sighed. "Finally! A straight answer!" Situating herself against the wall, she pulled a few covers over her legs and crossed her hands in her lap. "Go on. I'm all ears."

"Mmmnow listen carefully. I hate repeating myself. I am half Saiya-jin, half Necro-jin. 'Necro', as I'm sure you know, means 'Dead' or close to it. The '-jin' added to the end means that it is a person. So it means, to be simple, 'Dead Person'. As I said in the story, we have no home planet and have existed since time began. Some of us are as old as time itself. We can never die as we are practically 'dead' already, but we are not _completely_ deceased. Our brains function as do our bodies, and we produce energy from the food we consume, just like all other living creatures. Everything is the same except for one detail that changes it all." Endri placed a hand over his heart. "Our hearts do not beat. No beating heart means no blood circulation, means it needs no oxygen to carry to parts of the body, means the lungs don't need to take in oxygen—"

"But you're sitting there breathing _now._ You gasped for air when you broke out of the tank and threw up the water," Kaikatsu cut in.

"Ahh, but simply because I take in air does not mean I _use_ it. I breathe as a habit—to make myself seem 'normal' to everyone else so they won't become suspicious of me. Haven't you wondered why my touch seems to be a little cooler than it should be? It's because I have no means of producing body heat on my own. I could be considered a 'cold-blooded' creature on your planet. My body takes on the surrounding air temperature." Endri cleared his throat. "But back to what I was saying before. The Necro-jin have no home planet nor have we ever had one. We are spread out over the entire Universe, living where we can, blending into normal societies. Eventually some of us take mates and have children. Our children are normally full-blooded Necro-jin no matter what species the other parent is. That's because Necro-jin are a very powerful race, and their genes cannot be diluted by the weaker species."

"Wait," Kaikatsu cut in again, "then why are you only _half_ Necro-jin?"

Endri smirked, resuming his gentle caresses of Tanoshiiko's tail. The little one was starting to fuss in his sleep. "I was getting to that. I am only half because when my father bred with my Saiya-jin mother, he didn't take into account at the time that Saiya-jin were a very powerful race as well. He never even thought that there would be an internal clash of power. I am a result of neither side winning out over the other. A perfect mix of both species. Even though I look mostly Necro-jin, I have all the other Saiya-jin traits that make me even greater than a normal Necro. Both of my parent races are incredibly powerful on their ownbut both of them togetherhas produced _me._"

"No offense, but what's so special about _you?_"

Endri chuckled, reaching up to stroke the sculpted hair of the little boy. "My dear womanbecause I am a mix of the two greatest powers in the Universe, there is _no limit_ to my power. I can literally train forever. No one will be able to surpass me. In all truth, and as far as I knowI am the strongest man in the Universe at this moment. And even now, I have become even stronger in the last six months while I was in the tank. You see, when Saiya-jin come to near death but make a full recovery afterward, their power is increased exponentially. So every time I am injured, I become even stronger so I will be able to defeat my enemies later."

He looked back up to Kaikatsu and smirked. "It's quite odd, actually. You see, Necro-jin are normally _peaceful_ people. We would rather _not_ fight. We are very intelligent creatures. Being around forever tends to make one such even if they didn't _try_ to amass great amounts of knowledge. Others come to us for information and our wisdom, seeking guidance that they could find nowhere else. _Hnhn_," he chuckled. "If only they knew they were asking the very creatures they were told stories about as children for advice about their love lives and such.

"Anyway, as you probably know, Saiya-jin are very war-like people. We love battle! Love the smell of it, the taste of it, the feel of it. It's what we _live_ for. We _crave_ conflict. Crave even the taste of our enemy's blood on our lips—it's how much we love it. The goal of every Saiya-jin is to die in battle. No Saiya-jin has ever lived long enough to die of old age, so we have no idea how long our life-spans really are. If a Saiya-jin has survived too many battles and is feeling like he is becoming too old, he will go out seeking the strongest opponent possible in hopes he will be killed in the fight. Most are. And because of our love for battle and our excessive power levels, Saiya-jin live quite a long time, in an almost perpetual state of youth. The oldest recorded Saiya-jin lived to be about 223 years old, and when he died in battle, he still didn't look a day over thirty.

"Can you see what I'm trying to say? One part of me is a battle-crazed Saiya-jin, craving a good fight and the taste of blood. The other part of me is peaceful and gentle, wanting nothing more than to stand on the sidelines and watch the events of the Universe play out on their own." Endri chuckled. "Sometimes I getconfused."

Kaikatsu sat in stunned silence. What a terrible weight to have on his shoulders! To live forever! She herself wouldn't mind sticking around for a long, long time, but _forever?_ She knew eventually she would tire of life and want to be able to lay down and rest forever, but Endri _couldn't._ He was sort ofstuck.

She looked over at him. He sat on her plush, white couch, eyes fixed to her sleeping child in his lap. His hand stroked softly over the baby's hair, a barely detectable smile painted on his lips. His long tail dangled off the cushions next to him, and the tip batted playfully at the floor. He seemed to be content with the fact that he would be around forever. But_was_ he?

"Captain?"

He looked up.

"You said that some Necro-jin have been around since time began. Have you?"

"_Mhahahaha!_"

He _actually_ laughed! Kaikatsu had _never_ heard him laugh before. It waskind of nice.

"I'm not _that_ old, woman! _Hahaha!_"

Relieved, she joined him with a light giggle. "So you're only abouttwenty-five? Surely not more than thirty."

"Ahh, I'm not that _young_ either. You flatter me." Endri smirked.

"How old are you then?"

"_Hnhn_I am older than you, Kyle, and this little one combined. If you really want to know, I am about Wait, that is in Vegeta-_sei_ yearslet me calculate for your planet. Um" His face twisted in thought, and his eyes rolled upward, trying to figure the right equation to change Vegeta-_sei_ years to Earth years. "Oh, waitan Earth year is twelve months, and there are 364 days in a standard year So that would meancarry the four No! Carry the seven. Damn, this is complicated." His tail twitched and smacked against his ankles, then began to rhythmically beat against the floor in thought. "Oh, oh, okay. I have it, I think," he said, still trying to figure in his head. He drug the numbers out as he calculated, finally getting to an answer. "Sssssix hundredyes. Six hundred and ttttthirtyeight. 638."

Kaikatsu's eyes bulged. "You're joking me."

Endri's face was quite deadpan. "No. My math may not be the best, but if I had some paper, I could figure it out better. I'm quite certain, though, that that's my age in Earth years."

"But! But! You look so"

He smirked roguishly. "Sowhat?"

She blushed and looked to the side. "Young. You look so young."

"I see," he hummed knowingly.

Clearing her throat, she turned back, a smile brightening her features. "Well, I'm glad you're all right, though. I'm glad you're back. Tano-_chan_ was missing you."

"Are you sure just _Tanoshii_ was missing me?" he asked mischievously.

Kaikatsu blushed all the way up to her hairline. "Ohwell, um Of course _Kyle_ missed you too."

Chuckling, he replied, "Yes, I know."

"I was really worried about him. He was almost obsessed with making sure you were 'okay' in that tank. He rarely left you in there alone. Sometimes he _made_ me sit in there with you until he came back. I thought he'd go insane if you would never come out."

Endri's face fell a bit, and he reached down to run his fingers over his own tail to smooth out the fluffed fur that had dried by then. He grasped it roughly and raked his fingers down through the fur, not able to afford to be any gentler.

"Y-YesI know. He is very attached to me. To him, I am like a father figure or a hero. He looks up to me with such reverence. It almost breaks my heart when I have to be stern with him. Sometimes I'm even afraid to spar with him or hurt him in any way for fear he'll think I am trying to tor—" he cut himself off.

"Trying to what?" Kaikatsu asked, tilting her head to the side.

Endri sighed. "Well, I may as well tell you since I seem to be on such a roll tonight." He cleared his throat. "Kyle is so attached to me because I saved his life. It was a long time ago in his eyes, but seems as only days to me. Aboutten of your years ago, I landed my ship on a planet that was suspected to have Saiya-jin living there. There were many high power levels, and it was hard for me to determine which were Saiya-jin and which were not. So I searched out each individually.

"I finally came upon a cluster of them. Powerful beings with grey skin and purple hair. They were living on that planet because theirs had been purged years before by the Saiya-jin under the command of Freeza."

Kaikatsu nodded, staring with rapt attention. Nothing could tear her away from Endri's story.

"They were called the Oberlin: strong fighters and geniuses at technology. But their power and devices were no match for an army of six oozaru Saiya-jin. When I saw them, I knew who they were and knew they would be 'upset' should they discover I was even _partly_ Saiya-jin. So I hid my tail in my pant leg and approached them. One of them washolding a _ki_-enhanced strap in his hand, and when a few of the others backed away, I sawI saw Kyle on the other end."

Kaikatsu gasped, her hand flying to her mouth.

"He wasbeing forced to follow them around on a leash like an animal! The sight disgusted me. I shouted at them, asking how they could treat a man in such a way. They replied that his 'kind' had destroyed their race and they were exacting the most humiliating revenge on him they could muster. It was then that I realized what his 'kind' was. I saw hishis tail. A Saiya-jin tail. What was once a beautiful thing, nowmutilated. His entire body was beaten, bloodyhe was near death, I could tell. It was also easy to tell that they were even perverse in their tortures. They had disgraced him in every way imaginable, assaulting himin suchunspeakable ways.

"I was so angry at the sight of his tortured bodybut his tailhis beautiful tail The state it was in drove me over the edge. It wasit was The fur had been _ripped_ out in patches and the rest was matted down with stains of blood. It was cut, scratchedsimply mutilated! _Sssgrrrr!_" he hissed and growled, remembering. "For a Saiya-jin, their tail is their pride and joy. To let it fall into 'disrepair' was unheard of in our culture. To attack a Saiya-jin by harming his tail is like _asking_ the rest of us to destroy you in revenge. We take it personally, no matter who's tail has been injured.

"I knew Kyle had been tortured beyond recognizable thought. He behaved like a small animal: frightened at every little thing, cowering from everyone, covering his head and face as if they would strike him again at any moment.

"When I arrived, they had just finished beating on him for probably the tenth time that day. I was so blind with rage, II killed them all in one swoop. Nothing was left of themnot even a pile of ash. I gathered Kyle into my arms and took him back to my ship and put him into a regen-tank. He came out about a week later, fully healed in bodybut his mindhis mind was all but gone. It took me almost two weeks to earn his trust, and after thathe would never leave my side.

"I built him back up from the bottom. They had tortured him solidly for over eight years before I found him, so I had a lot to re-teach him. Eventually, he stopped acting like an animal and behaved like a man again. But to this day, he is still so completely loyal to me alone. And I have a feeling you're right. He just _might_ go insane without me. I dread the thought of him being taken from me forcefully. I'm afraid he will revert back to that behavior. He must leave me willingly. That's why I hope he will take the position I offered him as captain of his _own_ ship. But something tells me that he won't accept, that he'll stay here." He sighed.

Kaikatsu smiled. "He loves you so much."

Endri's eyes shot up and stared at her for a moment, almost surprised. A moment later, he lowered them back to Tanoshiiko, another small smile gracing his lips. "I know."

"Will you ever be with him?"

"I can't. He doesn't want me in quite that manner anyway. He has a child-like love for me; an adoring love. It's easy to see. Such a love is normally never transferred to sexual love. In his eyes, I am like an untouchable deity. Even though he is the closest one to me, he still feels he will never be able to truly be near me. Like I am always a step ahead, and he has to constantly run to keep up. He will follow me, serve under me and work alongside me until the day he diesand then he will just becomeone more memory." He paused for a long time, lifting his eyes to stare off at nothing. At length, his lips parted, and he finished everything with, "Just another memory of something I wish I still had."

Kaikatsu kept quiet for a while, letting everything soak in and listening to the silence in the room. She stared at Endri, taking in his saddened features and noticing the way he held her babyas if it was his as well. Maybesince he was so old, he may have had a baby before, and it died? How horrible. To outlive everyone and everything. Never being able to dielosing friends, family, even pets.

"How do you do it?"

He looked up, doing his best to wipe away the sadness in his eyes and put on his best smirk. "Do what? Continue on while I lose everything I ever cared about only to begin caring about something else then lose that too?"

Had he read her mind?

"It'snot easy, I'll admit. Some Necro-jin have actually gone insane because of it. They couldn't bear the loss of something they loved anymore, and they went ballistic. But even then, going insane will do nothing to help. They are still around, still insane, and will be forever more. That's why when I feel things start to become overwhelming, I remember the words of my father: 'You'll have to be strong, kid. You'll care about some people even when you don't mean to. And eventually, you _will_ lose 'em. That's the way it's always been with us. But there's one thing you won't have'ta worry about. You'll never lose _me._ So if you ever need someone familiar to talk to or just sit in the same room togetherlook me up. Remember. Be strong. Do me proud, boy.'"

Kaikatsu only shook her head in amazement. "I never realized you still had your father out there somewhere. Have you seen him recently?"

Endri chuckled. "I haven't seen him in over 500 years."

"Butthat's terrible! You should go see him at least every other year!"

He frowned. "What will that accomplish? He and I will be around for eternity. It's too bothersome to try and find him every other year. Besides, some Necro-jin children never see their parents for _thousands_ of years at a time. I'm sure I'm the least of my father's worries."

She smirked, a motion worthy of him. "But I'd like to meet him."

Had he been drinking anything, he would have spat it out over everything. "M-Meet him? Meet _my_ father?! Oh, no. No-no, that's out of the question."

"Well, why not?"

"He'she's justhe's tooflamboyant for my taste."

"Really?" she asked, surprised. "Amazing."

He frowned. "What is?"

"That you're father is flamboyant yet you're sostoic."

"Mmm Papa doesn't follow normal Necro-jin 'standards'."

"I'd still like to meet him sometime."

"We will see. In the meantime, I must get up to the bridge and catch up on everything that's been going on since I've been gone." He stood slowly, trying to not disturb Tanoshiiko, but not succeeding. The toddler squirmed and yawned, then whimpered when he realized that Endri was handing him back to his mother.

"Come now, Tano-_chan_, the captain needs to leave now," Kaikatsu murmured to him.

Still, the baby fussed until he was uncontrollable and slipped from her arms. Endri was about to the door when he heard a small thump and advancing unsteady steps followed by something he never expected to hearever.

"AAA! Ahbah ADA! _Daaaa!_ Da! _DADA!_"

The captain froze in his tracks.

Kaikatsu gasped, covering her mouth with a hand.

Tanoshiiko reached Endri a second later and gasped hold of his pants again, tugging and wanting picked up.

"Uhh! Uhhh!! Dada! Dada-dada!" he howled, not liking the way he was being ignored.

Endri stood rigid, his back to everyone, his tail carefully pulled up and out of the grasping reach of the little child. "Did you teach him to call me that?" he mumbled, not turning, his voice carefully passive.

She shook her head quickly, saying, "No! No, I swear I didn't! I've been teaching him 'mama'!"

"_Daaaadaaaa!_" the boy cried, upset that he hadn't been picked up yet. Tears poured down his little cheeks, and he continued to tug weakly on the man's pants.

"_NO!_" Endri shouted, startling him into falling flat on his bottom. He wailed louder after the shock left him. The captain knelt down and roughly picked him up, dangling him before his eyes. "I am _not_ your papa! Get that straight right now, boy! I am _NOT_ your papa!!"

For the first time since Endri arrived in her room earlier, Kaikatsu jumped off her bed and rushed over, pounding a fist to his arm. "Stop it! You're scaring him!"

He turned a glaring eye to her. "He must _not_ be allowed to think I'm his father!"

"Well, why not?! What would be so wrong about that?! He _needs_ a father!"

"I am not up for the job! He is Vegeta-_sama's_ child! I could never—"

"Oh, now it all makes perfect sense! You don't think you can hold a _match_ to Vegeta, is that it? Just because he was your prince, am I right?"

Endri growled, glancing back and forth between the howling baby and his furious mother. That lonely bridge was looking so good right about now.

"Well?! I thought you were the strongest man in the Universe! If that's so, then you would be stronger than Vegeta too! I thinkI think you hold him too high up. I think you're afraid to step in and take over where he left off!"

"Whoever said I wanted to do such a thing?!"

"No one! But maybe _I'd_ like you to!" She gasped and stepped back a pace.

Endri's eyes went wide for a moment before falling back into a furious frown. "No. You do _not_ want me to be your mate. _I_ don't want it!"

Angry again, she reclaimed the step she took away and added another, getting right up into his face. "Why not?" she hissed.

He stared at her for a long minute, biting the inside of his mouth as if mulling over some sort of answer. Finally, he uttered, "It isn't as if I don't find you desirable. I find you _very_ desirable, in fact. And your child," he said, turning to face the fussing baby, "I wouldn't mind raising him to manhood and training him to be the best warrior I can. I wouldn't mind having you as my mate and settling down on some peaceful planet to live happily ever after. But all of that is _impossible_. Don't you see, woman?" He turned back to her, his face losing that stark anger for a more tired, saddened look. "You would age and die eventually. Tanoshiiko would also do the same. He would live much longer than you for his Saiya-jin blood, but he would still end up on the wayside of my memory. I-II don't want to bear the pain of losing you both like that. There _is_ only so much I can take, you know. I'm not invincible to everything."

Kaikatsu smiled and raised a hand to caress his cheek and brush his long hair behind a pointed ear. "Let me ask you something. Would you rather have a few fleeting moments of happiness or be lonely forever? At least you would have the memory of the good times you had, and not a sad memory of loneliness."

He leaned into her caressing hand while pulling Tanoshiiko in to his chest at the same moment. A second later, as if he just recovered his bearings, he pulled away from her hand, trying to frown, but not making it very far.

"Please don't do this to me. It's all too painful. What about your Vegeta-_sama_? Why don't you cry over him anymore? He was your mate."

She smiled sadly, not relenting and stepping so close they touched. She reached up and wrapped an arm around his back. The other came up to cup his shoulder as she stood at his side. "Vegetahe was a good man. He wasn't the most emotional person in the world, but he loved me in his own way. He's gone now, though. I realized that a little while ago; a month or so after you were in that explosion. I realized that I had to move on and try to live my life as best I could. People die. They're taken from us, sometimes unfairly, but life must go on. You, of all people, should know that. I had my time with Vegeta and now it's over. I still remember the times we shared and will treasure them in my heart forever. That is what _you_ need to learn as well. How to take something bad and turn it into something that will keep you going forward. Lovecan change a person, Endri," she whispered trailing a finger down his cheek.

His eyes closed at the light caress. "Wh-What about Kyle? Surely you're closer to him than me? Why don't you and he become mates?"

She smiled. "Kyle is a wonderful friend and a good man, but he isn't the one I love."

"_How can you love me? You barely know me,_" he whispered, his anger completely gone the minute she first mentioned the word 'love' in his direction.

"_I know you enough,_" she whispered back.

Endri opened his eyes and locked them with Kaikatsu's. His gaze was like a well of gravity that drew her in. She couldn't resist, and apparently, neither could he as he reached around her with his free hand and locked her against his side. His lips searched out and found hers, pressing them together with unusual gentleness. His tail shuddered behind him with uncontrollable nerves.

He was terrified.

He was terrified he would hurt her; she seemed so small and frail against him. They parted a minute later, and he quietly gasped a cool breath against her cheek. "_Hahh_ Stupid woman, what have you done to me? After spending my entire life trying to resist beautiful creatures like youyou go and destroy all my defenses. You wicked thing I should kill both you and the child for such an act."

She smiled into his hair, falling completely into his embrace that was still so gentle despite his whispered words of harm. "But you'd never forgive yourself. You already care too much for us both. Admit it."

"_Never,_" he growled, laying a line of kisses to her jaw, heading back to her lips. "_I cannot accept this,_" he whispered between kisses and nibbles. "_I **won't** accept it._" He almost crushed Tanoshiiko between them, trying to get Kaikatsu closer to his body.

"_Endri_" she gasped as he stooped to lay kisses along her neck. "Will you let me touch your tail again?"

He chuckled, tickling her throat with the vibration. "Oh, no, you don't. Not with the child here. I won't be responsible if I drop him in favor of devouring you." He pulled away, giving one last kiss to her lips, then looked to the little boy just barely over a year old cradled against his chest. "You wouldn't want that, would you?"

"DaaaaDA!" he cooed, reaching up to pat his fingers on the man's pale cheek again.

Frowning again, he looked back to Kaikatsu who looked on him with such affection, the frown melted into another smile. He sighed, caressing a gentle finger over her cheek. "Ohvery well. Dada it is, then."

Her joy couldn't be contained as she reached up and flung herself around his shoulders, hugging as tightly as she could and smothering his cheek and ear in kisses.

Endri chuckled, trying to get past the kisses on one side of his face and the patting fingers of little hands on his other. "Okay! Okay! _Hahaha!_ That's enough!"

Kaikatsu pulled away and reached over to take Tanoshiiko from his arm. The toddler protested, but quieted when Endri bent down to his level and said, "No fussing, boy. Be good for your mama while I'm gone. Papa still needs to work on his ship; it doesn't run all by itself. If Mama tells me you've been good, I'll tell you another story tonight. All right?"

"Ah! Ah!" Tanoshiiko grunted, nodding his head exaggeratedly.

"Good." Endri looked back up to Kaikatsu and stood erect again. "I'll be back later. We can discuss things then." He traced a finger from her cheekbone to her chin, smirking. "You wicked thingyou've messed me up. I'll never forgive you, you know."

She smirked back. "I hope you never do."

He growled in desire, leaning forward to claim her lips one last time before turning and leaving. He had to get out of there before they did something in front of the child that he really shouldn't see at such a tender age. He made his way up to the bridge, leaving Kaikatsu to tend to her baby and Kyle to continue resting in his cabin further down the hall.

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Japanese — English Translation  
  


kaibutsu — monster


	8. Chapter 8: Memories and Old Faces

Wanda! I can always count on you to review! Thank you! I love reading your comments and mini RPG's! ^_^ Haha! *hugs n kisses*  
  
In this chapter, we have some more developments, of course. We see a little into the past, of how Kyle was taken in by Endri and was helped after he had been living in captivity for eight years. And we also see someone new! ^_^ Wanda, I'm sure you'll like it! Hehe!  
  
On with the show!  
  
  
  


Saiya-jin Voyage  
Spencers13 2002-2003  
PG-13 – Action/Adventure – Sci-Fi – Drama  
  
All characters, ship & place names © Spencers13 except  
Vegeta, Goku, Gohan, Goten, Chichi, Bulma, Mr. & Mrs. Briefs, Freeza & any DBZ concepts and place names © Akira Toriyama  
Beetlejuice © Geffen Film Co. 

Chapter Eight - Memories and Old Faces

  
Endri sat in his plush captain's chair on the bridge of his ship, tapping his fingers lightly over the flat, touch-sensitive buttons. He brought up window after window of the ship's logs, reading over them to catch up on what he had missed.

Apparently, they were now headed to Haleah, a planet on the outer rings of the Bremer Galaxy. It was still along the course to New Vegeta-_sei_, so he wasn't that upset that they would lose some time there. Orders had come in from his superiors to check for any Saiya-jin on that planet. Just another routine mission.

He sat back in his chair, suddenly losing concentration.

A papa. _Him._

The idea seemed so preposterous, he almost laughed aloud. He had never even _dreamed_ he would rear a child, not to mention be mated to its mother. Again, he felt the strong need to refuse, but Kaikatsu's words rang clear in his mind: "_Would you rather have a few fleeting moments of happiness or be lonely forever? At least you would have the memory of the good times you had, and not a sad memory of loneliness._"

He sighed. It was all so true. Before all of this–before he met Kaikatsu, her baby, or even Kyle–Endri was the picture of loneliness. He had no one and hardly nothing. Only his ship.

Smiling, he traced his fingers along the edge of the console before him. His beautiful ship with her elegant voice. He would never regret changing her accent. Often, when he ran the cruiser alone and no one else happened to be on it at the time, he would ask the computer to read to him while he relaxed. Her crisp accent was very comforting as she read great works of fiction from all over the Universe to him. So far, she had read about 277 books to him. That was one of the happier moments in his life.

Another happy moment was when he finally achieved Kyle's trust a few weeks after he saved him from the Oberlin. It was late at night, and Kyle had woken just like always from a fitful nightmare. Night after night, he would relive the tortures of his captivity. The nightmares were holding him back, keeping him from making any progress in his recovery. Until they could be contained, Endri could hardly do anything to help the man.

So that night, when Kyle woke up screaming yet again, the captain made his way into his room–

_The room was pitch black. Not even the light of the stars that zipped past outside could shed illumination to anything within._

_Reaching out with his senses, Endri felt for his new, strange ship-mate. The younger man cowered in the far corner from him, quaking in fear of everything._

_"Stop this," Endri said quietly from where he stood near the door. "You know I won't hurt you. I am here to help you. I took you away from thosevermin. You're safe now." He made his way over and knelt before him. The young man knew he was close and whimpered aloud, reaching up and covering his face and head with his arms._

_"Computer," Endri whispered, trying to not scare the man more than necessary, "light this corner with about five percent illumination."_

_A soft, very dim light rose around the two, and the young man cringed._

_"Shhhhne look here," the captain whispered. He reached forward and brushed his fingers along the man's arms, showing he was gentle and not harsh. "You've been here awhile nowyou know I won't harm you."_

_Slowly–as slow as possible–Endri slipped to the side and sat beside the young man with white hair. He was in his early twenties, but acted like a small child or frightened animal. He tried to press further into the corner, but his body would go no further. If only he could sink into the walls themselves_

_Endri reached out again. Words were getting him nowhere and hadn't been for the past few weeks. He had to **prove** he wouldn't hurt the man. His fingers once again brushed against thin, cringing arms and a squeak of surprise issued from behind them. Using gentle persuasion, Endri was able to get him to lower his arms and show his face again._

_Being tactile seemed to be making progress by leaps and bounds, so he continued on, slipping his hand up to softly touch his cheek, then run the fingers up and into fluffy white hair. All the while, he kept his green eyes locked to blue ones._

_"You see" he whispered as quietly as possible, "I want to help you."_

_The young man's breathing picked up again as soon as words were uttered, but he made no move to retreat._

He's still frightened of me_, Endri thought._ Perhaps if I

_He leaned forward so very slowly and brought his mouth within inches of the man's ear. Swallowing some air, he pushed it back out over the extra set of vocal cords low in his throat. The result was a soft, but guttural purr that tickled the young man's ear. He jumped, startled, and retracted a fraction, but made no other move._

_Endri continued to purr softly, something he almost **never** did, but if it would help to calm the boy down, it was worth it. Perhaps being a little affectionate could counteract all the harshness he had to endure for so long._

_That in mind, Endri leaned forward a tad more and nuzzled his nose along the man's ear, increasing the volume of his purr slightly. He jumped again, this time pulling his head away and turning to face the captain. Endri did his best to look upon him with kindness, his eyes half-lidded with his purring. He reached around and softly played with the tuft of white hair at the back of his neck and leaned forward again, knowing the young man had run out of room to pull away anymore. Again, he nuzzled his nose and purred into the boy's ear, hoping he was at least getting though somewhat. He seemed to be, as the boy closed his eyes and tried to even out his breathing._

_At long last, Endri parted his lips and whispered, "Tell me your name. I know you can speak. I know you know what I'm saying. Believe meI want to help you. Have I hurt you so far?"_

_Jerkily, the young man shook his head 'no'._

Finally!_ the captain exclaimed to himself. "I'd like to know your name. Please tell me."_

_Again, he shook his head 'no'._

Damn!_ "You won't tell me? Why?"_

_Another 'no'._

Damn!! Now what?! I've done more than enough, I think! Why is he so stubborn? What can I possibly do to convince him I mean no har–_ his thoughts froze for a split secondthen he gulped. No, that was too extreme. He absolutely **couldn't!**_

_Endri looked at him again. The young man's eyes were half-lidded with fatigue and dark rings with deep lines under them indicated far too much stress for his age._

He's been through so much, the poor thing. I rarely take pity on anything, butthis man needs to be shown that not everyone in the entire Universe is cruel and heartless.

_"Come here," he whispered, "I will prove I won't harm you. Here" He reached out and slid his left arm behind the man's back and hooked his hand to his left shoulder. Tugging, he pulled the boy against his chest and cradled him close._

_He whimpered again and tensed all over, but was too afraid to fight back._

At least he isn't trying to get away this time. _"Let me see your tail. Is it all better now that you've been staying here with me? Does it hurt anymore?"_

_He felt the man shake his head 'no' against him, and the tip of his tail came into view from under his legs. It twitched nervously, easily remembering how painful it felt if it was squeezed, pulled, or anything else harsher than that._

_"Did you know that for a Saiya-jin, his tail is his pride and joy? The longer it is, and the more luxurious the fur, the more beautiful it is considered in society. Let me see it. Here, I'll show you mine too."_

_Endri's tail uncoiled from his waist and dangled itself before the young man's eyes, but he was still kept pinned to the captain's chest. He looked at it fascinated, as if he had never seen it before. Well, that was partly true. The captain had always kept it around his waist, so the man had never truly seen it in all its splendor. Slowly, he lifted his own tail completely into view and brought it near to compare the two._

_"Look at you," Endri said with a mixture of amusement and surprise. "Such a beautiful tail! And you hide it behind yourself all the time. Shame. A tail like that should be displayed for all to see and marvel at. May I see how soft it is? I'm sure it's like the softest down."_ This had better work_, he grumbled to himself. _Or I'll never be able to look at myself the same way again!

_Finally, the young man nodded a 'yes', and Endri wasted no time in reaching out to run his fingers over the soft fur of the tail. He used just the right pressure and just the right motion to make the boy arch against him and gasp aloud. The captain swallowed but kept going, tightening his grip on the young man's shoulder and holding him close. He carefully scraped his nails along the sensitive skin beneath the fur and tilted his head to purr into soft white hair. The boy gasped and moaned, fisting his hands into Endri's shirt._

_"Such a soft, sensitive tail you have. Don't worry, " he pulled the man away enough to stare into his flushed face, "not everyone is like the creatures that held you captive. They hurt you–cut up your beautiful tail. Now I will erase all of that pain for you. Just hold onto metrust meI will help you heal and get you back onto your own feet. But you must trust me. Am I hurting you right now?"_

_A violent 'no' shook the man's head back and forth before another tingling caress sent him gasping again._

_"I'm not like themI never will be. Trust me, please," Endri whispered._

_Another violent head shake, but this one was an absolute 'yes'._

_Smirking, the captain cradled the young man's shuddering body as close as possible and reached behind him to grasp the base of his tail gently. That action alone sent him into a fit of moans and gasps. "It would be cruel of me to leave you like this," Endri breathed, moving his hand and allowing the man's tail to slip through it from base to tip in one final stroke._

_He cried out and tensed for a long moment before gradually slacking off and resting back against the captain, breathless._

_"Therebetter?"_

_"Mmmmm" the man hummed. "Kyle."_

_Endri blinked a moment. Did he just **speak?!** "Kyle?"_

_""_

_He nodded slowly. "Are you glad I found you, Kyle? Are you glad I took you away from those creatures?"_

_He nodded 'yes', too tired to say anything else. His vocal cords had been strained from years of neglect and abuse, and talking wasn't really desirable at that exact moment. He blinked his eyes open and saw Endri's tail still dangling in his direction. Reaching out, he meant to take hold of it and repay the captain's kindness, but the furry appendage was pulled from his reach quickly._

_"UhI'm fine. You don't need to do thatever, in fact. I only did that for you to relax you. Your nightmares are keeping you up at night. Are you tired now? Do you think you'll be able to sleep?"_

_Kyle nodded 'yes', a weary smile on his lips._

_"Good. Let's go then," he huffed, standing up and carrying the young man to his bed. He laid him there and drew the blankets over his starved form, making a mental note to stuff the man's face tomorrow._

_"Goodnight, Kyle. I'll see you in the morning." He turned to leave, but Kyle's strained voice stopped him._

_"S-Stay"_

_Endri looked on him for a long time, debating over and over what to do. After a minute that seemed to last an hour, he smiled. "Wellall right. But just for tonight. Understand?" Kyle nodded, and the captain crawled into bed beside him and lay on his side, facing away._

_After a little while, the man whispered, "Name?"_

_A yawn was his answer at first before Endri replied, "My name is Endri Juice, Captain of this ship, the MSC Rishelieuyour new home."_

_Warm fingers slipped over his shoulder and into his long blonde hair before coming to a rest with them still buried deep within the strands. "Captain"_

Endri smiled. Yes, that was one of the high points in his life. To know that he succeeded in gaining the trust of someone that had been to hell and back and could trust no one made his chest swell with happiness. And for him to have completely changed Kyle around like he didhe couldn't help feeling a little proud for that. It was a little extreme, but well worth it for the results.

Yes, good times. He had had good times. Not as many as he would have liked to, but enough just the same.

"Man, that screen is real interesting, ain't it?"

Endri whirled to his right only to come face to face with– "_PAPA?!!_" he shouted.

"_AHAHAHAHA!_ How are ya, boy?! How long's it been? Give yer ol' man a hug!" the man shouted in a loud, gravelly voice. He reached over and pulled Endri into a bear hug, cutting off all air.

"_Gkkk!_ P-Pa-pa–?!" Endri squeezed out.

"Oh! Sorry!" the man said, releasing his son. "I just missed ya, is all. I haven't seen you in, what? 500 years?"

"More than that," the captain grumbled, rubbing his neck. "And how did you get in here anyway? How did you find me?"

"Well, don't leap for joy at the sight of your own father after so long. Damn," he grumbled before shrugging. "I's just bored, so I thought I'd pop in to say hello. How've you been? Tell me all about what you're doin'!"

Endri sighed, rolling his eyes. This was the _last_ thing he needed right now. He just got out of the regeneration tank after six months, made everything up to Kyle, and agreed to become mates with Kaikatsu and raise Tanoshiiko all in one day. Couldn't he just be left alone for a little while? Was it so much to ask?

"Well?!"

"_Hai_, _hai_, Papa. For the last fifty years or so, I've been traveling about the Universe looking for Saiya-jin. What about you?" he grumbled.

His father held up a hand and sat back into Kyle's chair. "Whoa, whoa! Why are you looking for Saiya-jin?"

"We have colonized a new planet. Now we're trying to round up everyone that was sent off to purge planets as babies and bring them back together. The blood of Saiya-jin is beginning to wear thin, Papa. Too many crossbreeds are getting into the mix. The purebloods are becoming angry. They want nothing to do with mating outside their species. So my job is to find as many pureblood Saiya-jin as I can and bring them back to New Vegeta-_sei_."

The man sat quietly for a minute, tapping his steepled index fingers together before his lips. "They don't have a problem with _you_, do they?"

Endri smirked. "If they do, they don't say."

"Too afraid of ya, huh? _Ha!_ That's my boy!" his father cheered, clapping a hand to his shoulder.

Endri's smirk remained, and he sat back in his chair, looking his father over. It _had_ been a long time! But he should have known his father would still look the same. Blonde hair almost as long as his own, the same sparkling green eyes as his, the same pale skin and pointed earsbut that was about the end of the similarities. The man wore a gaudy black and white striped suit with a maroon silk shirt underneath, the top three buttons undone. His jacket was a tad too small, letting the maroon shirt sleeves underneath stick out farther than the cuffs of the jacket. His pants were striped vertically, like the rest of the suit, and were tucked into large, black, clunky boots that were laced and tied horribly.

Yes, Endri's father was quite the picture of imperfection.

He sat back in his captain's chair and crossed an ankle over his opposite knee, letting his tail dangle down off the side and onto the floor. "Papait's nice to see you again. How long will you be staying?"

"Oh, I don't know. I have nothing planned for a while, sooooa few years."

Endri's eyes bugged a bit. "Y-Years? Are you sure?"

The man nodded, looking down and to the side. "Say, you still got your tail! Ya know, if you keep draggin' it on the floor like that, it's gonna get dirty."

"I know how to care for my own body, thank you, Papa," the captain groaned, rolling his eyes.

"Your mother would have me skewered on a spit and rotating me slowly if she knew I let you drag your tail on the floor. It's her fault, though. You got your tail from her" he sighed.

Endri reached down and picked his tail up to drape it across his lap. "You miss her, don't you?"

He smiled. "Of course I do. Why wouldn't I? She wasone of a kind."

"I miss her too. It's beenso long."

His father sat in silence for a short while, slowly swinging back and forth in Kyle's rotating chair. "Sowho are you paling around with now? Anybody? Or do you run this big ship all by yourself? It's nice, by the way."

"_Arigato_. And yes, I do have a few people here with me. My first officer is–"

The doors to the lift opened up behind them and Kyle rushed onto the bridge. "Captain! Are you all right?! I felt another large _ki_ up here and–!" He froze at the odd sight of another man sitting in his chair, but recovered from shock soon afterward, clenching his fists and growling. "Who the hell are you?!"

"–right there," Endri finished. "Papa, I'd like you to meet Kyle Bennington, my first officer."

Kyle froze again. "Yourp-papa?"

The man stood and extended his hand. That's when the half Saiya-jin noticed his outrageous outfit andred-tipped fingers?

"Nice ta meet you! Name's Beetlejuice!" he grinned.

Dazedly, Kyle shook his chilly hand and nodded in greeting. "Your papa? Beetlejuice?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. It's an odd name, but hey! I'm an odd guy!" he cackled.

"Back off, Papa, you're frightening my commander," Endri grumbled, but with a smile on his face.

"Oh, sorry! _Heh heh!_ Sometimes I get carried away, ya know."

"Indeed. Kyle has been working for me for over ten years now. He's excellent at ship repairs and a whiz at Tactical," Endri explained. "He's so good, in fact, that I've offered him a command of his own."

Kyle cleared his throat quietly. "UhCaptain, I've been meaning to talk to you about that."

The blonde's smile fell a little. "It can wait. We won't be getting back to New Vegeta-_sei_ for at least another ten months to a year. You don't have to decide today."

"I know, but–"

"Kyle, why don't you take my father down and show him to a room. He'll be staying with us for a while. Then you need to get back into bed, you're still not fit for duty," Endri ordered, not letting anyone get a word in. He didn't want to deal with his father anymore right then, nor Kyle's uneasiness with accepting a new command. "Now, both of you get off my bridge. I have work that needs done."

"Hey, now, you can't order me to do anything, boy. _I'm_ your father!" Beetlejuice grumbled, turning a glaring eye to his son.

Endri returned his glare and then some. He stood from his seat slowly, his tail lashing behind him with anger. "I don't care if you are the emperor of the _Universe!_ On _my_ ship, you will obey _my_ orders! Is that understood?!"

Beetlejuice backed down with a retreating step and widened eyes. "Sure, sure. Okay. I didn't know you'd be so touchy about it. Sorry. Damn."

"Get going," Endri grumbled. "Kyle, I expect to see you up here first thing in the morning."

Kyle nodded and crossed his right fist over to his left shoulder and bowed in a salute. "Aye, Captain." He stood straight and waved for Beetlejuice to enter the lift before him. The Necro-jin did so–a little grudgingly–and stood with his arms crossed, much like his son always would.

"Tomorrow, then," Kyle said before the doors closed and cut them off.

"Hey" Beetlejuice mumbled at his right.

The half Saiya-jin looked over, obvious weariness in his countenance.

"Even though he _is_ my son, I don't mind rakin' on 'im. Why do you let him push you around like that?"

Kyle smirked and blinked slowly. "He doesn't push me around. He gives me orders, and because I work for him, I have to follow them."

"He's got a real command complex. He thinks he's the boss of the Universe or somethin'. Makin' me leave_humph!_" the Necro-jin grumbled, crossing his stripe-clad arms.

The half Human chuckled. "He very well _could_ be the boss of the Universe, Mr. Beetlejuice. He _is_ the strongest man in existence."

Beetlejuice cackled with delight just as the lift doors opened and they stepped out onto the third deck. "First of all, kid, just call me Beetlejuice or Beetle or somethin'. The 'mister' is just too weird for me. Second, there's no way my kid could be the strongest guy in existence! I meanhe's _my_ kid! Sure, I know he's strong, but not _that_ strong, right?"

Kyle simply looked at him with a straight face.

"Right? R-Right?"

Shrugging, the half Saiya-jin walked off a ways and pointed to a door on the right side of the corridor. "This will be your room. If you need anything, just ask the computer; it will give it to you or give instructions on how to get it. Dinner on this ship is eaten at 17-00 hours every day. The rest of the meals are up to you to find."

Beetlejuice huffed and crossed his arms. "Boy, not much for service are you?"

Kyle smirked again. "There is no one else to do it for you. This ship is run only by myself and Captain Endri. He tolerates no one else to be aboard for any length of time."

The Necro-jin's eyes bulged. "You mean it's just you and him?"

"Most of the time, yes. Currently, we are transporting the Lady Kaikatsu and her child to New Vegeta-_sei_, however. And there's a possibility we could pick up a few more Saiya-jin before we reach there. But they will be gone as soon as we land, and the ship empty again save me and the captain."

Beetlejuice sidled up next to him and nudged him in the ribs with his elbow. "Ohhhh! I see how it is! You guys areyou know_heehee!_" he winked.

Kyle gasped. "_IIE!!_ Dirty old man! That is untrue! How could you think that about your own son?!"

The blonde shrugged. "Does he got a girlfriend then? What about his Kaikatsu chick? Is she cute?"

"As far as I know, she _does_ have her sights set on the captain, but I don't know what will come of it. He is very 'unwilling' when it comes to mates and children. Nowif you'll excuse me, I'm very tired. My day has been long. Good evening."

Kyle trudged wearily off and stepped through a door on the same side of the corridor as Beetlejuice's new room.

"Hmmm" the Necro-jin hummed to himself. "'Unwilling', huh? I wonder" He would have to have a nice personal chat with his sonlater. The boy obviously didn't want to be disturbed now. And what was Endri cutting Kyle off about? Were they disagreeing on something? Beetlejuice frowned in thought before stepping through the sliding doors of his new living quarters. Yes, a nice _long_ personal chat with his boy was due. He wanted to know what was going on. 

_  
  
  
  
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**********  
  
Japanese — English Translation  
  


None in this chapter! ^_^ 


	9. Chapter 9: Personal Discoveries

Again, Wanda, Thank you so much!! That was such a sweet review. And don't worry, Batty, my lips are sealed. *zips lips* ^_^ Yeah, Endri's the greatest guy ever. Followed closely by Kyle of course! *dodges random objects thrown at my head*  
  
Kyle: I AM a hottie! Don't you forget it!  
  
I never said you weren't a hottie...I just said you were the second greatest guy ever.  
  
Kyle: Oh...hey! Second?! What's with that?!  
  
Endri walks in: Just face it, Kyle. You'll always be second fiddle to me.  
  
Kyle: O_O Grrr!  
  
Boys, boys! I take it back! You're equally great guys, and equally hotties!  
  
Endri & Kyle: That's reasonable.  
  
^_~   
  
  
  


Saiya-jin Voyage  
Spencers13 2002-2003  
PG-13 – Action/Adventure – Sci-Fi – Drama  
  
All characters, ship & place names © Spencers13 except  
Vegeta, Goku, Gohan, Goten, Chichi, Bulma, Mr. & Mrs. Briefs, Freeza & any DBZ concepts and place names © Akira Toriyama  
Beetlejuice © Geffen Film Co. 

Chapter Nine - Personal Discoveries

  
A month passed by quicklyand yet not. Endri was having a tough time getting along with his father, and his ship was beginning to act up. The days passed rapidly when he got down into the inner workings of the craft and set about repairs, but when his father popped in to say hello whenever he felt like it, the seconds felt like hours. He just could never get used to how the man acted: like an energetic teenager that is fascinated with every little thing he sees and can't sit still to save his life.

Beetlejuice was starting to _really_ get on his son's nerves.

One particular day, a month or so after stopping at Haleah and finding no Saiya-jin there; Endri discovered yet another system error had occurred, and he lost his temper. With a shout of anger, he pounded his fist into the main console at his station and destroyed it, sending sparks flying and debris scattering all over the bridge.

"Captain, are you insane?! Without that console we're flying blind! We can't access weapons either! What if we're attacked?!" Kyle shouted in disbelief from the far side of the bridge where he was just putting a wall panel back on. He had been repairing some wiring inside.

Endri whirled and was on him in an instant. He pinned his commander to the wall by his wrists and practically roared in anger, their faces so close, their noses were a hair's width from touching. "Then why don't you shut up and _fix it?!_" he shouted. "My ship is falling apart and you aren't doing much good in helping to keep it together!"

Kyle was frozen. No. No, not his captain. Not Endri. He wouldn't

"S-Stopd-don't–" His voice was soft and small, not at all his normal tone. He sounded likewhen Endri first got him to speak all those years ago.

The captain was shaking with barely contained anger and frustration, but as soon as he heard Kyle's voice, he froze as well. Instantly, the deep frown left and was replaced with a look of almost shock, as if he only then realized his folly.

"K-Kyle–! Oh, no! No, I'm sorry!" He was aghast at how easily the man slipped back into such a frightened and weak state. He had never done that before, not even when Endri had beat him because he was frustrated. Never whenever faced with an enemy in the same way, even if he was at a disadvantage, did he revert like that. Butas soon as _Endri_ was the one overpowering He only prayed that he hadn't destroyed the trust he worked so hard to build between them.

"Forgive meI didn't realize. I was so angry because the ship is malfunctioning. I'm so sorry! Here, come here. _Shhhh_" He released Kyle's wrists and worked his hands behind his shoulders to pull him forward into a gentle embrace.

The half Saiya-jin was a bit stiff for a moment, not sure if it was safe to move in the captain's arms. His body shook slightly, torn between trust and fear.

"_I'm so stupid,_" Endri whispered, more to himself than Kyle. "_I knew you had a low resistance to me. I was blinded by anger. You know my temper._"

The silence was almost tangible in the room save for the uneven breathing of both men present. Kyle remained frozen, his arms curled up against his chest and pressed into Endri's, and the captain's arms locked at his shoulders, one of his hands gently caressing white hair.

"_Y-Y–_"

Endri blinked at the broken sound of his friend's voice. It seemed he was afraid to speak.

"What is it?" he whispered. "Tell me what's wrong."

Kyle gulped quietly, his shaking still not abating. "_You_"

"Promised"

"Y-You saidnot like them Promised you'd never hurt me like them"

Endri could have screamed, he was so angry at himself. He never even realized what it could possibly mean for Kyle to have his wrists pinned down like that. What was he _thinking?!_ Oh, that's righthe _wasn't._ Damn his Saiya-jin blood!

"KyleI would never, I swear. You know thatdon't you? Don't you?"

The half Human only shivered.

Endri twisted his face from side to side, rubbing his cheek into Kyle's ear, cursing himself up and down silently. "_Please don't be frightened,_" he whispered. "_I know you're stronger than that. You're strong, Kyle. Don't forget that. Come-on, you were fine for years, and now this? What's wrong? Have I really scared you so much?_"

Kyle shook still, but was able to force his arms down and around Endri's waist. "E-Endrinot just you."

"What is it? Tell me, please."

"I-I–" he released a held breath and said no more.

"Kyle, you know you can tell me anything."

"Y-Youyou will be angry."

Endri paused. "We'll see. Now tell me. Please, don't make me order you."

Kyle silently gasped for some much needed air. He had been holding his breath for too long at intervals too close together and was becoming dizzy. "I-II don't Please don't make me–!"

"I told you, I'd never do anything they did to you!"

"N-Nonot them"

"What then?"

"I don't want to go." He took a deep breath. "Please don't make me go! I don't want to leave! You might think I'm ready to be on my own, but I'm not! I-I need someone like you to keep me in lineto keep me sane. I was slowly loosing it while you were in the tank. Everything was so overwhelming! The ship, the stop on Tetrus-_sei_, even the woman and her kid were too much for me!" He gasped for more air. "Don't make me leave_please don't!_"

"_Shhh shhh_" Endri rocked back and forth slightly, trying to ease his commander's trembling. "Kyle, it's all right. I understand. I had a feeling you'd want to stay anyway. I was just hoping you had progressed enough, butdon't worry. Perhaps I was meant to find you so we could both stay on this ship and run it together? What do you think?"

Nodding, Kyle gripped tighter.

"I was worried about finding someone else to replace you anyway," Endri chuckled.

Suddenly, the other half Saiya-jin growled. "No one knows this ship better than me! Besides you. They would never be able to keep up with repairs. This is _my_ job!"

"_Hnhnhn!_ Don't worry, Kyle. No one could ever replace you."

Kyle relaxed considerably. "Truly?"

Endri nodded against his ear.

Sighing, the commander pulled away and looked over to the smoking, destroyed console. "I'd better get working on that now."

Endri only nodded again and walked over to pick out a few select tools from a wall storage. "I'm headed down to Four. There was a burnout down there before I lost my temper on the console. It needs repairing. Call for me if you need anything."

"Aye, Captain. You as well."

The captain smirked and laid a supportive hand to Kyle's shoulder. "You'll be fine?"

The man smirked back. "Aren't I always?"

Endri turned with a smug grin and left the bridge in his commander's capable hands.

Endri smacked his forehead off the bulkhead for the tenth time that hour and cursed loudly. A redish-purple mark was beginning to form as he rubbed at the sore spot tenderly, hissing.

Why did this particular section have to burn out _now?_ It was fine for over sixty years now andwell, it _would_ be about time to get a new timing converter, not to mention replace all the wiring the section had to offer.

Endri sighed. He loved his ship dearly, but maintaining it was a pain in the ass.

"Hey, Endri. Can I talk to ya?"

_Speaking of which_, he thought. "What do you want, Papa? I'm busy."

Beetlejuice scooted forward on his rear to sit closer to his son. They were both cramped into a tiny area, no bigger than the interior of a car from Earth, plus loads of equipment and loose wiring hanging about didn't help the cramped conditions.

"I just thought it was time we had a little heart to heart," he said casually.

"Look, Papa," Endri grumbled without looking, his face shoved halfway into an open panel, "I don't have time for idle chitchat. If you hadn't noticed, my ship is breaking down bit by bit, and I need to focus on repairing things before too much is damaged and we are floating dead in space. So, if you'll excuse me–"

"Son," Beetlejuice said, his voice more serious than Endri had ever heard it. The tone made him freeze in place, only his eye traveling to the side to look upon his father. "This isn't something that can be held off anymore. I need to ask you a couple things, and I want you to be honest. Your future happiness will depend on it."

Endri withdrew his hands and face from the small panel and turned his torso toward his father. "My future happiness? What are you talking about?"

"Do you love Kaikatsu and her kid?" Beetlejuice asked, a determined frown on his brow.

His son turned back to the panel and lifted his hands toward it. "It doesn't really matter how I feel. And frankly, it's none of your business. It wouldn't matter if I loved them or not, they would just die and be forgotten any–"

Before he knew what hit him, Beetlejuice dove forward and pinned his son against the bulkhead by his shoulders with surprising strength. The captain's eyes widened for a second before drawing narrow in anger. He made to push his father away, but found himselfstuck. He pushed as hard as he could, but Beetlejuice wouldn't budge, keeping his son firmly pinned.

"I may not be as strong as you, but I'm still strong enough to grab your attention when I need it! Now, listen to what I say to you before you blow your whole future to hell!"

Endri had never seen his father so serious or angry!

"Do you love them, yes or no?!"

He turned his head to the side, defiance dripping from his every motion.

"Answer me!"

He closed his eyes warily, fatigue drifting into his form and making him sag somewhat. "_Yes,_" he whispered.

"Now, listen, and listen good! Do you ever want to lose them?"

"No."

Beetlejuice smirked. "Then let me tell you how you can keep at least Kaikatsu around forever."

Endri's eyes shot open, and he stared at his father in disbelief. "How would that be possible?!"

The older Necro-jin grinned like a wild man. "I don't know if you really want to know. You're so set on them just dying, after all."

"_Rrrr!_ If you don't tell me, I'll rip your head off!"

"You know that won't be a problem for me. I'll just put it back on, no worse for wear."

"Enough bullshit!" Endri shouted. "Tell me!"

Beetlejuice chuckled and released his son, knowing he had his full attention now. "Okay. It's time I let you in on a little Necro-jin secret, son. It's never told to anyone until they pass the age of '_ookiku natta_'–which is about 200 for us–because no one wants it used incorrectly or excessively. Necro-jin like the fact that no one knows we truly exist, and by using this secret too much and too often, it could give us away."

"Go on," Endri encouraged.

"You know about your Saiya-jin mating rituals, right? That if you bite your mate and claim them as yours, you also form a bond between you?"

"Yes. It's called the '_kizuna_'. 'The Bond'. Usually, it's looked down upon as the two Saiya-jin become linked in mind, body, and soul. When one dies, unfortunately so does the other from suffering from bond-withdrawal. Warriors _never_ claim their mates."

Nodding, Beetlejuice continued with, "There are lots of cultures that use some kind of marking or biting ritual to bind themselves to another. Necro-jin also fall into that category. I think I need to tell you this now more than ever because you have _two_ heritages that make you want to take a bite out of someone." He cackled at his own joke, but sobered when Endri didn't even crack a smile. "_Ahem!_ Anyway, all that Saiya-jin bonding crap, you know about. But what you _don't_ know is that if your mate bites you and swallows some of your blood, you'll have completed a Necro-jin bond."

Endri was quiet for a moment, mulling over the information. "Sowhat would that entail?"

"What that means is, not only will your Saiya-bond kick in–the sharing of thoughts, emotions, and all that crap–but your Necro-bond will also begin. It's painful for them at first and most likely they'll just black out, but when they wake upthey'll be different. Aging will not touch themdeath will not touch themdiseases could still be contracted, but they'd never surfacethey could live forever right alongside you, Endri. Because you're part Necro-jin, you can pass on everything your blood contains, which is everything that keeps you, me, and every other Necro around forever."

"Th-That is all I have to do? They will be with me forever?! They won't die?!" Endri was so overwhelmed, he became dizzy and propped his head against the metal wall behind him.

"Now, I never said they _wouldn't_ die. I said they _could_ live forever. You and I, we're safe from _all_ manners of death. But they, with the bond in place, can only resist _natural_ forms of death–old age and disease. If they were killed by other means, they would still be able to die."

Endri closed his eyes. "It's so simpleI can't believe Kaikatsu and Tanoshiiko, they will be able to be with me forever! And Kyle as well! I'll just have them take some of my blood, and–"

Beetlejuice cleared his throat. "Uhit may sound simple, butthere's some'technicalities' you might want to hear about first before you go to Kaikatsu, her kid, _or_ your buddy."

"Technicalities?" Endri mused, opening his eyes. "What sort of 'technicalities' are we talking about?"

His father looked off to the side and bit his lip as if suddenly uncomfortable with the whole conversation. "Umit's sorta hard for me to explain it allI've never had to before. My dad had a hard time telling _me_ too. It's verypersonal stuff."

"Papaplease. I must know! You can't stop at this point when you know there is more to be explained! Do you want anything to go wrong for me?!"

Beetlejuice sighed. "No, no, of course not! Justjust calm down, okay?" He took a deep breath. "Okay, listen. In order for things to work, the _other person_ has to bite _you._ You can't just cut yourself and give them some of your blood; it isn't like that. It's along the same lines as the Saiya-jin bonding process. But instead of biting on the part where the neck and shoulder meet, they must bite you _here_," he said, indicating with a red-tipped finger the fleshy area right at the hollow of his neck. "You can do this with whoever you want and as many people as you want, but you'd better know this The experience is very" he cleared his throat and whispered, "_erotic._"

Endri swallowed with a little difficulty. "E-Erotic?"

"Yeahin fact, it's so erotic that the need toum, you knowwill be so great, you can't resist no matter _who_ is bonding you. So you'd better be picky about who you do it with."

The captain swallowed again and stared down at his hands clenched into the fabric of his pants at his thighs. "This can be done with Kaikatsu easilywhat about Kyle and Tanoshiiko? I don't want to leave them behind! Papa," he said with barely contained desperation, "this desireis it only for myself? Or do they experience it as well?"

Beetlejuice slowly nodded. "They do too. But the little kid is way too young. He has to reach maturity first because he has to make the decision for himself if it's what he wants. But would _you_ want something like that?"

Endri firmly shook his head. "No, no. As much as I would want the child I raised to be around forever, I couldn't do something like that to him."

"And what about your friend?"

"Kyle" he drifted off. "I-I don't know. Tell me, does this desire carry on after the initialexperience?"

Beetlejuice shrugged. "Usually, it ends there. But I'm sure if the two wanted to, they could continue on in some sort of relationship afterward. After the bonding, everything will be voluntary."

"Then it can be a one time thing. That's a little better, butstill. I'm not sure if I could do that. Papa, Kyle has a verytraumatic past. I promised him I would never treat him the way he was beforeif you get what I'm saying."

The older Necro-jin raised an eyebrow of confusion at first, but after a moment of thought, both eyebrows rose in realization. "Sohe was taken against his will?"

Endri nodded.

"Well, you won't have to worry about that. The whole experience is mutual. You _both_ have to agree to it beforehand."

He closed his eyes and shook his head roughly. "I can't even _believe_ I'm considering this! No! No, I can't! Kaikatsu will be the only one I take this to. You will _not_ mention this to him either!"

Beetlejuice shrugged. "I am only meant to tell _you_, Endri, because you're my son. I have no business telling anyone else. And nowI've told you, so I'm done. I think I'll go get something to eat. Have fun repairing your stuff!" he called, disappearing in a misty cloud of grey. "_But just remember one thing_" his voice called from the empty air, "_as long as nothing happens, they will be with you foreveryou should weigh the pros and cons carefully when choosing who to bond with. Would you rather have one intimate moment and them foreveror nothing and watch them slowly die? Just think carefully._"

Endri sat in the lingering silence, his eyes closed and an intense look of concentration on his face. _Would_ it be so bad? It would be just once. He could have his commander–the only other person he truly got along with at all–around for all time, then. For a full minute, he let his imagination take him to where he normally wouldn't go. Finally, his eyes opened, and he shook his head.

No. He couldn't do it. Every time he imagined approaching Kyle, he pictured him cowering in fear, screaming for him to stop or even him being hurt in the act. He promised he'd never do such a thing to the man, and he would keep his promiseeven if it meant denying him eternal life. That's just the way it _had_ to be.

"Forgive me, KyleI can't do that to you," he whispered aloud, sadness eating him away.

Slowly, he turned back to the panel he had been working in. He reached over and grabbed his calibration tool, languidly going back to what he was doing before his father showed up. He would think about how to approach Kaikatsu with the whole thing later.

"WomanI need to speak with you," Endri said lowly, standing in the doorway to Kaikatsu's room.

"What is it?" she asked, laying her book down and standing from the couch.

Tanoshiiko was off playing in the corner with some of his toys. As soon as he saw his new father, he jumped up and bounded over to grab hold of his pant leg. "Dada!" he squealed.

"Not this time, Tanoshii. I need to speak with Mama alone right now. Go out and play with PapPap, all right?" Endri said, ushering his foster son out the door.

Beetlejuice was out there waiting and took the little boy by the hand, leading him off down the corridor. "Good luck, kid!" he called back with a wink.

His son ignored him and turned back to Kaikatsu.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, a bit of nervousness working into her voice.

Endri smirked and stepped fully into the room, letting the door slide shut behind him. "Not necessarily. I have something to tell you that you may find interesting."

"Well, please, don't leave me in the dark."

Slowly, the captain explained every detail about making a Necro-bond and all it entailed. Kaikatsu sat and listened intently, not letting a single word slip by her ears.

"I want to do this with youbut it's your choice if you wish to refuse. I don't want you to answer right away either. You must think it all the way through as I have before I came here," he said, standing. "I'm not going to be selfish in this. I'm not going to make you. To force upon someone else what I must endure for eternitythe thought sickens me."

Again, Kaikatsu was silent, listening to every word.

Endri eyed her, curious about her silence. "Have you nothing to say?"

She smiled and stood along with him, her arms reaching up to twine around broad shoulders. She said nothing, only leaned forward until their lips met softly. Endri kissed her and couldn't help but deepen it until they were suddenly thrown into the throes of passion. Breaking away to let her gasp for air, he kissed his way down to her shoulder and licked at the skin there before scraping his teeth over it slightly. She moaned into his ear, and it was all he could do not to mark her then and there.

_Oh, no_ he thought hazily, _It's started. We both know we want itour bodies are reactingtaking over. Sh-Should I try to stop it? Should I let it continue? I'mso confused._

"_Endri_" she finally whispered. "_There's no guarantee I **will** live foreverand so I'd rather spend all the time I can with you. I want to do thisI think we'll both be so much happier._"

The man smiled, full and bright, and rested their foreheads together.

"As do I" 

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Japanese — English Translation  
  


ookiku natta — maturity

kizuna — bond


	10. Chapter 10: Jealousy

Thanks for the review, Wanda! I can always count on you, _ne_? :P This is one of my persnally favorite chapters. I hope you (and whoever else reads this story) like it too! *hugs*  
  
  
  


Saiya-jin Voyage  
Spencers13 2002-2003  
PG-13 – Action/Adventure – Sci-Fi – Drama  
  
All characters, ship & place names © Spencers13 except  
Vegeta, Goku, Gohan, Goten, Chichi, Bulma, Mr. & Mrs. Briefs, Freeza & any DBZ concepts and place names © Akira Toriyama  
Beetlejuice © Geffen Film Co. 

Chapter Ten - Jealousy

  
Kyle clanked and banged, wrenched and twisted inside another console down on deck four with a little more malice than usual. He cursed, carelessly dropping another tool to the floor at his side and reaching for another. It seemed he was always lying on his back inside a console or bulkhead, or on his stomach with his head and shoulders disappearing into an open panel on the floor. But that never really bothered him. He almost enjoyed the work as it gave him something to do during deep space missions on the huge ship. No, that wasn't why he was angry.

He had heard about itand it didn't make him happy at all.

How could he do that? How could he when he only just met the woman a few months ago? Well, more like almost two years, but still. Always, it had been just him and the captain together on the ship, running their long missions and just being plain companionable. He had worked so hard to gain the complete attention and appreciation of his superior, only now to have all his efforts forgotten over some silly girl and her brat. Now those two would be sticking around much more. They would either stay on the ship or settle on New Vegeta-_sei_. 

Captain Endrisettling down. It just didn't sit right with him.

It wasn't fair!_ He_ knew Endri much longer than _her._ Why was the captain with _her?_ Why couldn't she just be like all the others and be dropped off on the planet to fend for herself? Then he and Endri could leave, and things could be just like they always were.

Kyle would never admit it, never to himself or anyone else, not even to the chair across the roombut he still knew.

He was jealous.

After years of loyal service–over a decade, now–he had been replaced just like that. His animalistic Saiya-jin side wanted to roar out in anger and chase the offending woman down to gut her for ousting him from his position at the captain's side. But his soft Human side just wanted to sit in a corner and weep for what he had lost.

So torn.

It was the story of his life.

What now? What would he do? What _could_ he do? He still needed to be near Endri and work for him the way he had been. It was the only thing that worked at keeping him in control. Having orders to blindly follow didn't allow much for thought, which he was grateful for. If he was allowed to sit and mull over his past, future, anything; his mind would slip, would fall back into that depressed, paranoid anxiety that dogged him for a few years after Endri found him. So sitting still was always something hard for him to do. He needed his captain's orders to keep him occupied, and he trusted no one else to take _their_ orders. Endriit _had_ to be him.

There was no way he could leave, then. So the only thing available to do was to grin and bear it. Kaikatsu was nice enough in her own respect. She had told him about Earth and it's people, making him realize that he himself was half Human when he had not known before. Her child was cute, and he didn't mind playing with the little tyke occasionally. But the thought of her and his captain togetherleaving him to be ignored Kyle hissed and growled, the fur on his tail bristling.

"At ease, Commander. What's the matter?" a familiar voice asked.

The half Saiya-jin craned his neck forward to look out through the hole he was lying in to see Endri, kneeling next to him and looking inside.

"Captain" he drifted off, trying not to let his surprise show through. He thought Endri would be tied up with the woman forever, the way things had been going over the last few months. "Nothing."

"Oh?" the captain asked, reaching down, out of Kyle's sight.

The white-haired man jumped a fraction when he felt cool fingers wrap around his tail, but neither pleasure nor pain emanated from the feeling.

"Then what's this?" Endri asked, lifting the man's bristled tail into his view.

Kyle rested his head back to the floor and stared up at his project. "Uhthis is giving me problems, is all. Just getting a little frustrated."

"I see."

Things were quiet for a moment, but Kyle knew Endri had not even moved from his vantage point right outside the console. He could still feel his _ki_, his hand on his tail, and smell his scentmuddled with that damn woman's. His tail bristled again, and he had barely even made any move to lift his arms back into the loose wires above him.

"Out with it," the captain ordered. "Something's been bugging you for the last few months now, I can tell. Even Papa has noticed it. He came to me several times now concerned over your abnormal behavior."

Kyle laid still.

Endri increased his grip on his friend's tail slightly. "Tell meor you won't be able to walk correctly for a week," he growled.

Wide, fearful, blue eyes locked to his green ones from inside the metal housing, making the captain wince. Why did he _always_ forget?! Carefully, he released the captive tail, and it immediately snaked out of his reach.

"I apologize, Kyle," he sighed. "I'm just concerned for you, and when you refuse to talk, I geta little angry. Why don't you come out of there and talk to me? We haven't had a good conversation in a while. I'm feeling a little deprived." He cocked his head to the side and peered in at his friend, a gentle smile on his face.

After a moment of hesitation, Kyle complied, gripping the edges of the metal and sliding outward on his back. He sat up slowly, bending his knees to rest the bottoms of his feet together and holding them there by the ankles. His tail slid over the floor behind him, sweeping back and forth with its entire length, clunking on the edges of the console he was just in. He sighed and kept his eyes lowered to his hands, not wanting to look at his captain.

Endri allowed the silence to stretch for a while, hoping it would help to alleviate any nerves his commander happened to have. But as the seconds dragged on, the tension only became thicker. He was about to open his mouth and break the quiet, when Kyle beat him to it.

"I really should be repairing that wiring, Captain."

"It can wait. You're more important right now."

Kyle suppressed the need to grunt. _Humpham I?_

"Will you tell me what's been bothering you?"

"Isee no need to. It will change nothing," he mumbled, still not looking up.

"Stop it, right now," Endri hissed, voice firm, but not frightening.

Kyle raised his eyes, blinking.

"You act like a brat, I will treat you like one! Speak your mind! That's an order."

The half Saiya-jin swallowed and cast his eyes aside, still hesitant. This was so embarrassing.

"_Now!_"

Jumping, Kyle looked back. "_H-Hai_I know, Captain, about you and the woman."

Endri only nodded. He knew they hadn't exactly been subtle in their relationship since it started a few months ago. But why would that bother–oh. Once again, even though his knowledge was beyond normal comprehension, he had overlooked the simplest of things. How would he ever deal with this situation?

"I waswaiting for the right opportunity to tell you, I suppose," he said quietly. "Tell me, is that what is bothering you?"

Almost imperceptibly, Kyle nodded.

Endri sighed. "You need not explain why. I'm sure I know your motivations. But you must know this: I will not retract my decision, nor can I. My feelings for Kaikatsu and her child run deep, and I ask that you respect that. And you must also know that my feelings for you are just as strong or you wouldn't even be here."

The younger man looked up.

"KyleI need you at my side just as much as I need Kaikatsu, if not more at times. We will not be separated, I swear to you. The woman is not to be an obstacle in your path to stand by me. She stands at my left, and you stand at my right. Nothing will change that. Not even" he stopped at that point.

But time _would_ change it. Now, Kaikatsu was just as immortal as he. Kyle, however, was still the same. He would still age and eventually die. Then Endri would no longer have a friend so devoted or commander so loyal. An aching burn started to well within his chest. How would he be able to go on after such a sad day? The woman would help, butnothing would ever be the same. It all could be avoided, though. Avoided very easily. But the consequencesthey were too risky to attempt at that point, maybe even ever.

Sighing, the captain scooted over and sat next to his commander, propping an arm across his shoulders. "Don't worry, Kyle. I'm not trying to ignore you, if that's what you think."

The man nodded slowly, not looking over. "Sowhat are you going to do, now that you're mated?"

Endri smirked and chuckled. "I'm a little tired, I think. I've been on the go, jumping from planet to planet and space station to space station for longer than I care to admit. It's time I sit back and relax for a while. Let the Universe move on on it's own. I'm going to find a nice quiet home on New Vegeta-_sei_ and park my ass and ship for a few years. Tanoshii needs a solid environment to grow in as well."

"How long will you stay there?"

"OhI don't know. It just depends. If all goes well, maybe 100 or more years."

"I see" Kyle drifted off, staring at his hands clasping his ankles again.

Endri smirked, looking over at his commander. "Don't think I forgot about you, now. I want you to live _with_ me."

The man's head jerked up. "Y-You would allow me to live with you? In your home?"

"I've allowed you to live on my ship with me, haven't I? What's so different about a house on a planet? They are both homes to me."

Kyle's eyes swam, and he looked away before Endri could see. Damn his emotional Human side! "_A-Arigato_"

"_Aa_" the captain nodded. "You are like family to mebut that doesn't mean I won't take it easy on you. Get back to work. And no more fussing like a brat, or I'll turn you over my knee, understand?"

Kyle gulped and nodded, before cracking into a smile. Wouldn't _that_ be a sight!

"Good. I'm going to get something to eat before we make final preparations to land on New Vegeta-_sei_ in a few days. Before we even get there, though, I'll need your help in selecting a nice place to live and park the ship nearby. Now, get that finished. Without it, we have no landing skids."

Grinning, the commander reached down and picked up a welding tool. "_Hai!_"

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Japanese — English Translation  
  


aa — Yeah. ~ An informal yes.


	11. Chapter 11: Home at Last

Thank you Wanda and Maya Beebop for your reviews! And since I was threatened to post, I'd better do it, right?! *nervous look*  
  
And so, here it is, the final chapter to Saiya-jin Voyage. It's been a fun trip, and I'm happy to have taken a few others along for the ride! I hope it was enjoyable for everyone too! So without further ado...the final chapter....  
  
  
  


Saiya-jin Voyage  
Spencers13 2002-2003  
PG-13 – Action/Adventure – Sci-Fi – Drama  
  
All characters, ship & place names © Spencers13 except  
Vegeta, Goku, Gohan, Goten, Chichi, Bulma, Mr. & Mrs. Briefs, Freeza & any DBZ concepts and place names © Akira Toriyama  
Beetlejuice © Geffen Film Co. 

Chapter Eleven - Home At Last

  
Kaikatsu stepped out of the gravity simulator and toweled the sweat off her forehead with a small cloth. She felt light as a feather now! Such a relief.

For the last ten months, ever since just after they claimed each other as mates, Endri had forced her and Tanoshiiko to use the gravity room on a daily basis to get them both used to the higher gravity of New Vegeta-_sei_. That planet, he said, had a gravity about fifteen times Earth's.

He worked them both up to the new force gradually, doing one to two incriment increases each month until now. Now they were at the full fifteen times and were able to move about quite easily.

It was easier for Tanoshiiko to adjust than Kaikatsu, him being the stronger of the two just after two months from his birth. Saiya-jin babies were fast to develop, and their strength was unmatchable by most Humans. He was forced to crawl again in the high gravity for the first two months, but after that, he was on his little feet, running and even jumping. It simply amazed his mother who was having a hard time even standing up straight.

Kaikatsu treaded lightly through the long corridors back to the lift, sighing. Soon. Soon all the traveling would be over. Soon she could set her feet on solid ground again and smell fresh air. It had been so long. Too long. This would all be over and another chapter in her life would be closed. But not the book. The book would continue on and onforever.

She smiled. Forever with her Endri. Such a sweet prospect.

An electronic blip overhead caught her attention and she halted in her steps, waiting for the familiar sound of one of the men's voices emanating from elsewhere on the ship.

"_Woman_," Endri's voice spoke in the corridor, "_gather Tanoshii and report to the bridge. If you see my father, tell him to get his ass up here too. We are about to land._"

"Coming," she replied, moving forward again at a hastened pace.

Finally! This would all come to an end! She would finally get to see her new home!

Up ahead, the door to the lunchroom slid open, and Beetlejuice stumbled out, holding his slightly bulging stomach and smacking his lips contentedly. He belched loudly before reaching his hands to the ceiling and stretching.

"Oh! Beetlejuice!" she called, trotting up to him. "Endri just called. We're about to land on New Vegeta-_sei_. He wants us up in the bridge right now."

The Necro-jin smiled at her. His boy was really lucky. "Right-o! Where's the kid?"

"He's down in our room taking a nap."

Grinning, Beetlejuice held up a finger. "Wait here." His body seemed to slip right down into the floor until he was gone, appearing on the deck below. He found his step-grandson and held him tightly, rising back up through the ceiling to stand before Kaikatsu again.

"I'll never get used to your little tricks," she said, a loopy smile on her lips.

Beetlejuice only cackled softly so as not to wake the boy, then slipped his free arm around her waist and rose up through another deck to slip onto the bridge.

"There you are," Endri said, not turning from his post. "Take seats and strap yourselves in. The landing should be smooth, but I want no chances taken."

Everyone complied without argue, and Kaikatsu held the sleeping Tanoshiiko in her lap.

As predicted, everything went smoothly with only the slightest quaking of the deck plates as the ship broke through the atmosphere. The huge mobile station soared through the skies overlooking an almost desert-like surface. Monstrous red rock formations jutted up into the air with small cave-like entrances dotting all along them. People darted in and out, going about their own business, almost like bees in a beehive.

"_That's_ where the Saiya-jin live?" Kaikatsu asked, staring at the images on the view screen. "We won't live in those rocks, will we?"

Endri and Kyle both chuckled, but never turned to look back at her, concentrating on flying their ship smoothly.

"No, woman," the captain said, a smirk on his tone, "We will not live there. Those homes are much like how the _Sabaku_ Saiya-jin used to live before being taken over by Freeza. No, we will live elsewhere. I don't like that lifestyle all that much, myself, as neither I nor Kyle are descended from _Sabaku_ Saiya-jin."

"Yes, both parts of me have always liked an actual home on the ground and where it's cooler," Kyle agreed.

Kaikatsu watched as the pillars of rock disappeared on the horizon behind them. "Sowhere will we be living then?"

Endri pointed to the view screen at an approaching patch of green far ahead. "There."

As they got closer, the patch of green tuned into an expansive forest, stretching farther than the eye could see. Near what was probably the center, sat several villages with a capitol made of white marble in the middle of them all.

"We will be living on the outskirts of the upper leftmost village," Endri went on after a moment of observation.

Kaikatsu nodded, knowing that her mate had a hard time with crowds of people. Living off a ways from everyone would be a breath of fresh air for him. She turned to Beetlejuice who sat silently for once, simply watching the view screens. "Will you be staying with us, BJ?"

"Mm?" he mumbled, looking over at her with raised eyebrows. "Ohif my boy doesn't mind. I think I'd like to stick around for a while."

"Papa, you know that as long as you stay out of my hair, you're welcome to stick around for as long as you like," Endri said from his seat.

"How nice," Beetlejuice grumbled, but with a smile on his pale lips.

More good humored chuckling came from all around.

"Adjusting pitch for final approach," Kyle informed, slipping back into his professional mode.

"Set her down right outside our new home. It's already been set up for us per my request," Endri ordered.

"Aye. Lowering landing skidsfiring reverse thrusters"

The commander spouted a few more routines, and soon the ship shuddered to a halt as it touched down to the planet in a section that had been cleared prior to their arrival, flattening any remaining foliage the skids happened to sit on.

"Lower the ship for long-term leave."

"Aye," Kyle answered, pressing several sequences of buttons.

Kaikatsu leaned forward. "What are you doing?"

At last, Endri swiveled around to look back at his passengers. "Since we'll be staying for a long time, we're lowering the ship on the skids so it doesn't sit so high. It'll make getting in and out a little easier as well."

"Landing complete, Captain. We're ready to debark."

Endri smiled at Kaikatsu and her boy, then shifted a smirk to his father. He turned to Kyle, just now finishing up turning off the unnecessary computer systems, and presented him with a smirk as well.

"Everyonewe're home. Let's go."

Kaikatsu stepped off the ramp onto soft, mossy earth and marveled at her surroundings. Some of the trees rose so high into the sky, she almost lost their tops in the atmosphere. Their trunks were absolutely huge, over possibly 1,000 feet in diameter! And did that one over there havewindows?

Endri pointed to them, hefting Tanoshiiko onto his hip. "Some of the _Mori_ Saiya-jin have made their homes in those trees. And we will as well. That tree right there is our new home!"

"AH! Dada! Teeteeteetee!" Tanoshiiko squealed, trying his best to say "tree".

"_Haha!_ That's right, Tanoshii. Tree-house!" the captain praised him.

Kaikatsu smiled and watched as the men picked past her heading for their new home.

Amazing. She was on a whole other planet. She knew adjusting to a new planet and people would be difficult, but with Endri by her side, she knew she'd be all right.

Forever.

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Japanese — English Translation  
  


sabaku — desert  
mori — forest


End file.
